By 
ARTHUR  SOMERS  ROCIIK 


ILLUSTRATED    BY 

M.  LEONE  BRACKER 


THE  BOBBS-MEfffiTLL  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY.  LOS 


COPYRIGHT  1916 
THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 


PRESS    OP 

BRAUNWORTH    &   CO. 

BOOKBINDERS    AND    PRINTERS 

BROOKLYN,    N.    Y. 


To  the  Ever-Fragrant  Memory  of 

MY  WIFE 

ETHEL  KIRBY  ROCHE 
Somewhere,  My  Own,  You  Wait  for  Me 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I     Lady  Gwendolyn  Pouts — and  Smiles         1 
II     Hildreth  is  Perverse;  And  Receives  a 

Note    .     .     .: 12 

III  Hildreth    Visits    an    Actress;    And 

Reads  Another  Note      ....       35 

IV  The  Gray  Ghost  Has  No  Appetite; 

Hildreth  Eats  Chop-Suey    ...       48 
V    Hildreth  Telephones;   And  Is  Tele- 
phoned         .......  69 

VI    The  Gray  Ghost  Calls  on  Morn;  Mr. 

Daly,  of  Cincinnati       .,...-.,  88 
VII     Hildreth  Learns  of  the  Gray  Ghost; 

And  Avoids  Some  Callers    .     .     .  108 

VIII    Hildreth  Meets  the  Gray  Ghost    .     .  125 
IX    Jerry  Tryon  Goes  to  Headquarters; 

Headquarters  Goes  to  Him      .     .  144 

X    Loot        .........  163 

XI    The  Gray  Ghost's  Handiwork       .     .  185 

XII    Jerry  Tryon  Makes  Some  Deductions  197 


CONTENTS—  Continued 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

XIII    Tryon  Traces  the  Gray  Ghost;  For  a 
Short  Distance    .,••:«    .:  .« 


XIV    Jerry  Tryon  Calls  at  Horn's  Apart- 

ments; And  Heads  a  Cablegram    ,     232 
XV    Jimmy  Pelham  Points  Out  a  Weak 

Spot;  Tryon  Touches  It     ..    ,     ,     251 
XVI    Jerry  Tryon  Talks  with  a  Restaura- 
teur ;  And  a  Hotel  Clerk  ;  And  Pel- 
ham  Listens       ,,    ,:    ,:    »     »•    »     272 
XVII    Horn  Thinks  Over  a  Proposition;  But 

Does  Not  Have  to  Answer  It    ,     „     287. 
XVin    Horn  TeUs  Her  Story;  And  HildretH 

Does  the  Best     ,  304 


LOOT 

CHAPTER  I 

LADY  GWENDOLYN  POUTS — AND  SMILES 

"THE  necklace  will  be  finished  next  week 
Gwen.  Arabin  cabled  me  to-day." 

Lady  Gwendolyn  Brathwaite,  only  daugh- 
ter of  the  Marquis  of  Mori  ton,  permitted 
herself  to  become  impulsive.  Under  pre- 
tense of  patting  the  cloth  into  place  she  al- 
lowed her  slim  fingers  to  rest  a  moment  on 
the  wrist  of  the  speaker.  Also,  she  flashed 
him  a  brilliant  smile. 

"You're  a  dear,  Brenner !  And  when  will 
it  get  here — the  week  after?" 

Brenner  Carlow  colored  with  pleasure  at 
the  touch  and  the  smile.  There  were  times 
— rare,  of  course,  but  they  did  happen — • 
when  he  wondered  if  any  one  that  really 

1 


2  LOOT 

loved  could  be  so  cold,  so  aloof,  so  unemo- 
tional as  Lady  Gwendolyn.  Her  tendernesses, 
whether  of  eye,  voice  or  hand,  seemed  re- 
served for  her  father,  her  dogs,  her  horses. 
The  multi-millionaire  American  she  was  to 
marry  received  mighty  few  of  them. 

Still,  she  was  going  to  marry  him.  That 
was  something.  From  the  heights  of 
the  station  to  which  she  had  been  born 
the  Lady  Gwendolyn  had  stooped  to  lift  him 
to  her  side.  That  she  was  also  lifting  to  her 
side  some  scores  of  millions  of  good  Amer- 
ican dollars  was  beside  the  question.  What 
was  money  as  compared  with  caste  ? 

And  the  caste  of  the  Brathwaites  was, 
royalty  alone  excepted,  the  highest  in  Eng- 
land. Lady  Gwendolyn  was  the  daughter  of 
the  eighteenth  Marquis  of  Moriton.  Her 
husband  would,  of  right,  enter  the  hitherto 
most  impregnable  strongholds  of  British  so- 
ciety. And  it  was  at  this  prospect  that  the 
mean  little  heart  of  Brenner  Carlow, 
glowed. 

Mean— that  is— from  the  standpoint  of 


LOOT  3 

snobbishness.  As  far  as  money  was  con- 
cerned, Carlow  was  open-handed  enough. 
Proof  a  plenty  of  that  was  given  in  his  refer- 
ence to  the  necklace,  concerning  which 
Arabin's,  one  of  the  most  fashionable 
jewelry  concerns  in  America,  had  cabled  him 
to-day.  Two  million  dollars  is  more  than  a 
trifle,  even  to  a  man  who  possesses  fifty-odd 
millions.  Yet  that  was  the  price  of  the 
bauble  which  was  to  adorn  the  throat  of 
Lady  Gwendolyn  Carlow. 

Lady  Gwendolyn  Carlow!  That  name 
meant  a  great  deal.  It  would  be  a  great 
match.  Unfortunately  the  last  half  dozen 
[Marquises  of  Moriton  had  been  extravagant. 
[Beyond  the  entailed  properties,  with  rent 
rolls  that  were  pitiful  in  comparison  with 
the  income  of  even  a  moderately  successful 
tradesman,  the  present  wearer  of  the  title 
possessed  nothing  save  the  suave  manners 
and  fearlessness  of  debt  for  which  his  an- 
cestors had  been  famous.  The  millions  of 
Brenner  Carlow  were  more  than  welcome. 
Some  of  them  might  possibly  be  diverted  to 


g  LOOT 

the  heir  presumptive,  Lord  Moriton's 
nephew.  At  any  rate,  Carlow  had  agreed  to 
settle  enough  on  Lady  Gwen  to  enable  her 
to  help  out  her  dear  old  father.  Society  was 
a  unit  in  declaring  that  the  match  was  emi- 
nently suitable,  all  things  considered.  Of 
course  Gwen  was  a  beautiful  girl,  and  it  was 
too  bad  that  some  one  of  her  own  rank  had 
not  the  money  to  compete  with  Carlow.  But 
one  can't  expect  everything  in  this  world. 
Gwen  could  have  done  worse. 

Carlow  and  Lady  Gwendolyn  were  lunch- 
ing at  a  restaurant,  accompanied  onl^  by 
Lady  Agatha  Brathwaite,  aunt  of  Gcwen.  It 
was  the  first  time  in  six  months  that  Ccwen 
had  appeared  in  public  with  Carlow,  The 
death  of  her  mother,  a  week  after  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  engagement,  had  made 
her  cancel  all  social  engagements.  To-day 
was  her  first  emerging  from  the  semi-obscur- 
ity demanded  by  mourning.  And  Carlow, 
elated  at  being  seen  with  her,  at  being  recog- 
nized by  the  fashionable  throng^  was  in  no 
mood  to  deny  her  any  request. 


LOOT  5 

"The  week  after?"  he  echoed.  "Why,  I'd 
thought  of  running  across  in  a  couple  of 
months  to  wind  up  some  affairs  and  of  bring- 
ing it  back  then.  We  aren't  to  be  married 
for  six  months  yet,  you  know,  Gwen.  You 
could  hardly  wear  it  before  we  are  married." 

"But  I  can  see  it,  can't  I?"  demanded 
Gwen.  "Why  can't  you  send  for  it?  If  you 
love  me,"  and  she  lowered  her  voice,  "you'd 
do  that." 

"Why — why,  I  suppose  I  could.  I  im- 
agine it  would  be  just  as  safe  over  here  as  in 
Arabin's  vaults." 

"After  we're  married,"  said  Gwendolyn 
softly — Lady  Agatha  was  extremely  busy 
with  her  luncheon — "it  won't  be  in  vaults  all 
the  time." 

"Why,  of  course  it  would  be  safe  enough," 
said  Carlow. 

"then  cable  Arabin  to  send  it  over  at 
once,"  demanded  Gwen. 

"I'd  like  to  see  it  myself  before  I  closed 
with  them,"  he  objected  half-heartedly. 

"Aren't  they  reliable?" 


6  LOOT 

"Oh,  my,  yes  I  If  Arabin's  say  they've 
complied  with  my  specifications,  why, 
they've  done  it — that's  all.  Still,  two  mil- 
lion, Owen!" 

"Four  hundred  thousand  pounds!" 
Gwendolyn's  face  flushed  faintly.  Then  she 
pouted.  "And  can't  you  go — now?"  Then, 
as  his  eyes  darkened,  she  leaned  impul- 
sively across  the  table.  "Isn't  there  some 
one  you  know  who  knows  diamonds?  That 
you  could  trust  to  examine  the  necklace — » 
see  if  it's  up  to  specifications  and  every- 
thing ?  That  would  make  it  so  much  quicker. 
Of  course  I  don't  want  you  running  over  to 
New  York  until  you  have  to." 

"Eight  in  the  middle  of  my  coaching  sea- 
son, too,"  he  said.  Then,  as  he  read  the 
disappointment  in  her  eyes:  "There's  my, 
London  counsel,  you  know.  One  of  them's 
going  across  for  me  to-morrow.  Matter  of  a 
stockholders'  meeting.  Some  outsiders  try- 
ing to  get  control.  My  friends  have  begged 
me  to  have  some  one  there  if  I  couldn't  come 
myself.  Of  course  I  could  have  had 


LOOT  7 

American  attorneys  attend  to  it,  but  there 
might  have  been  some  slip.  And  it  would 
have  got  out — somehow.  Sort  of  surprise. 
My  man  from  here  walks  in  and  surprises 
the  outsiders  with  my  proxies.  They  don't 
expect  him — better  that  way.  Now  he — if 
he  knew  anything  about  jewels — " 

" Brenner!  You  dear!  And  he'd  be 
back—  " 

"Oh,  in  a  fortnight,"  said  Carlow. 

"And  he  sails  to-morrow?  Brenner,  you 
must  see  him  at  once." 

"And  if  I  do?" 

"I'm  going  to  be  at  home  this  evening.  No 
other  callers." 

"It's  very  unusual,  Mr.  Carlow,"  said  Mr. 
Moggrage,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Moggrage,  Jones,  Eoberts  &  Crossgrove,  so- 
licitors, The  Middle  Temple. 

"But  you've  just  said  the  beggar  knows 
j  ewels,  haven 't  you  ? ' ' inquired  Carlow.  ' '  He 
has  only  to  compare  the  necklace  with  this 
drawing.  And,  as  I've  said,  we  can  trust 


8  LOOT 

Arabin's  to  have  made  it  only  of  the  most 
perfectly  matched  and  graduated  stones. 
It 's  the  design.  I  'm  very  fussy  about  that. ' ' 

"It's  a  heavy  responsibility,  Mr.  Carlo w. 
Four  hundred  thousand  pounds!  Suppose 
he's  robbed ?" 

"Impossible!"  ejaculated  Carlow.  "Ara- 
bin's will  give  him  an  escort  to  the  boat. 
Once  aboard,  it  will  be  locked  in  the  purser's 
safe.  When  the  vessel  reaches  this  side  we  '11 
have  an  escort  meet  him.  All  he  has  to  do 
is  to  examine  the  design  and  setting.  If  it's 
satisfactory  he  turns  over  my  check  to  Ara- 
bin  's.  That 's  all  there  is  to  it. ' ' 

"I'll  call  Mr.  Hildreth  in,"  said  Mog- 
grage. 

He  did  so ;  and  a  moment  later,  after  in- 
troductions had  been  effected,  the  senior 
broached  the  matter  to  the  younger  man. 

"Why,  I  don't  see  why  I  shouldn't,"  said 
Hildreth.  He  smiled  at  Carlow — a  frank 
ingenuous  smile  that  was  attractive.  "But, 
as  I  understand  this  proxy  matter,  Mr.  Car- 
low,  no  one — not  even  your  friends — knows 


LOOT  9 

just  what  to  expect.  You  have  assured  your 
friends  you  would  aid  them,  but  have  left 
them  in  the  dark  as  to  how.  Isn't  that  it?" 

"Yes,"  said  Carlow.  "I  have  promised 
them  that  my  stock  should  be  voted  with 
theirs.  Perhaps  they  think  one  of  my  Amer- 
ican attorneys  will  vote  it ;  but  the  instruc- 
tions which  I  have  given  Mr.  Moggrage,  and 
which  doubtless  he  has  given  you,  will  come 
as  a  surprise." 

Hildreth  nodded. 

"Of  course,  Mr.  Carlow.  Your  American 
attorneys  would  naturally  tell  your  friends 
just  where  they  stood.  Jf  it  became  known 
that  your  American  attorneys  possessed 
your  proxies,  and  refused  to  tell  just  how 
long  they'd  vote  a  certain  way,  your  friends 
would  suspect  something  and  combine 
against  you." 

"All  these  details  you've  mastered  or 
Moggrage  wouldn't  be  sending  you,"  said 
Carlow.  "About  the  necklace:  Will  you  at- 
tend to  that  ?  I  '11  cable  Arabin  's  to-day  that 
you  are  coming." 


10  LOOT 

"That's  exactly  it,"  said  Hildreth. 
"Even  though  I  hold  credentials  from  you, 
and  your  check,  Arabin's  will  naturally  be  a 
little  averse  to  handing  over  two  million  dol- 
lars in  diamonds — the  check  might  be  a 
forgery  and  I  might  be  a  rascal,  you  know." 

"But  if  I  cable  them  in  my  code,  which 
only  they  and  my  attorneys  know  1" 

"And  then  won't  it  get  out  to  the  railroad 
people  that  you're  sending  a  man  over? 
Won't  they  suspect  that  I'm  coming  on  the 
railroad  matter,  too?  Won't  they,  unable 
to  get  any  definite  promises  from  me,  com- 
bine against  me  in  some  way?" 

Carlow  laughed. 

"You  needn't  be  alarmed,  Hildreth.  It's 
a  very  simple  matter  to  tell  Arabin's  to  keep 
your  coming  secret,  isn't  it?  I  doubt  that 
you  would  be  suspected;  but — well,  Arabin's 
won't  leak.  .  .  .  And  you'll  do  it?" 

"Why,  of  course,"  said  Hildreth. 

A  little  later  Carlow  departed;  but  he  left 
behind  him  a  check  for  two  million  dollars, 
payable  to  Arabia's,  credentials  for  HU- 


LOOT  11 

dreth  to  present  to  Arabin,  the  original  de- 
sign of  the  necklace,  to  be  studied  on  ship- 
board by  Hildreth,  and  an  atmosphere  of 
gratitude. 

"I'm  sorry,"  said  Moggrage;  "but  I 
didn't  like  to  suggest  to  him  that  he  should 
send  some  one  else.  He's  a  valuable  client. 
But — it  robs  you  of  the  tour  you'd  planned. 
It's  a  shame  to  have  to  hurry  back  a  day  or 
two  after  you  land.  I'd  hoped  you'd  have  a 
real  vacation.  It  was  promised  you.  And  it 
isn't  a  solicitor's  business — acting  as  re- 
triever for  necklaces." 

"But  Mr.  Carlow  is  our  richest  client," 
smiled  Hildreth.  "No  doubt  I  shall  be  jolly 
glad  to  turn  right  round  and  come  hpme. 
America  is  all  very  well,  I  suppose;  but  it 
isn't  England." 

"Crude  place,  I've  always  understood," 
said  Mr.  Moggrage.  "As  you  say,  you'll 
doubtless  be  glad  to  return  after  all.  .  .  . 
Still — four  hundred  thousand  pounds' 
worth  of  diamonds — I  shall  be  uneasy, 
my  boy." 


'CHAPTER  II 

HILDRETH  IS  PERVERSE ;  AND  BECEIVES  A  NOTE 

[WADE  HILDRETH  was  by  no  means  an  ig- 
norant or  narrow  young  man.  A  public- 
school  product  and  an  Oxford  man,  the  death 
of  his  father  had  given  him  opportunity  to 
give  up  the  jewelry  business,  which  he  did 
not  like,  and  to  prepare  himself  for  the  bar, 
to  which  he  felt  he  was  genuinely  called.  His 
father  had  long  been  a  client  of  Moggrage, 
Jones,  Roberts  &  Crossgrove,  and  with  that 
firm  he  had  been  reading  law  for  several 
years  and  was  now  on  the  verge  of  a  part- 
nership. Inheritor  of  a  comfortable  for- 
tune, he  could  easily  have  lived  on  his  in- 
come had  he  chosen  to  do  sos  Instead,  he 
slaved  like  the  veriest  clerk.  He  had  only 
two  hobbies — a  passion  for  collecting  odd 
designs  for  jewelry — inherited  no  doubt — • 

12 


LOOT  13 

and  for  playing  tennis ;  and  but  one  idiosyn- 
crasy— a  hatred  of  lifts,  or  elevators,  which 
was  almost  a  horror,  and  for  which  he  could 
only  account  by  the  fact  that  his  mother  had 
been  seriously  injured  in  one  a  long  time 
before. 

He  had  done  the  usual  Continental  travel- 
ing of  young  men  of  means.  He  had  read 
rather  widely.  Yet,  when  from  the  deck  of 
his  steamer  he  first  glimpsed  Manhattan's 
wonderful  sky-line,  it  came  to  him,  as  it  does 
to  most  foreigners,  that,  whatever  had  been 
his  previous  conceptions  of  America,  he 
must  prepare  to  revise  them. 

Leaning  on  the  rail,  drinking  in  that 
jagged  profile,  Hildreth  felt  a  dismayed  sen- 
sation. To  think  that  he  must  turn  round 
and  leave  this  new  country  before  he  had 
done  more  than  pass  through  the  gates !  Oh, 
well;  he  could  see  something  of  New  York 
anyway,  even  though  a  glimpse  of  the  rest 
of  the  country  was  denied  him.  He  had  to- 
night, Tuesday,  and  what  of  Wednesday  he 
should  not  spend  at  the  stockholders'  meet- 


14  LOOT 

ing.    He  read  again  the  wireless  message  he 
had  received  earlier  in  the  day : 

"WADE  HILDRETH,  S.  S.  Lucantia:  If  un- 
able to  meet  you  at  dock  will  call  at  Hotel 
Battenberg  to-night.  Boom  engaged  there 
for  you.  (Signed)  JAMES  F.  AEABLN"." 

"Devilish  kind  of  him,"  said  Hildreth. 
"Still,  he  ought  to  be  polite  to  a  man  who 
has  it  in  his  power  to  reject  a  two-million- 
dollar  necklace.  I  suppose,  though,  Carlow 
asked  him  to  be  civil.  Oh,  well ;  it  saves  me 
trouble.  I  don't  have  to  bother  about  my 
accommodations.  So  much  more  time  to  see 
the  town." 

He  took  a  last  look  at  the  enthralling, 
staggering,  amazing  city  that  lay  before  him. 
Then  he  went  below  to  look  after  his  bags. 
A.  little  later,  attended  by  a  well-tipped  stew- 
ard, he  was  on  deck  again.  Later  he  was  on 
the  dock,  standing  with  the  others  whose  last 
names  began  with  the  letter  H,  waiting  for 
the  customs  officials  to  get  through  with  him. 


LOOT  13 

He  was  free  at  last  and  a  porter  carried 
his  bags — he  had  no  steamer  trunk,  not  hav- 
ing thought  it  necessary  for  a  short  stay — • 
to  where  a  row  of  taxis  stood.  Arabin,  then, 
had  been  unable  to  meet  him.  There  was  no 
question  of  Arabin 's  having  been  unable  to 
identify  him.  He  had  stood  with  the  other, 
H's  long  enough  for  the  jeweler  to  have 
found  him.  And  he  did  not  linger,  for  the 
reason  that  he  was  anxious  to  enter  the  city 
as  soon  as  possible. 

He  did  not  notice  that  a  gentlemanly  ap- 
pearing young  man  had  kept  him  under  ob- 
servation from  the  moment  he  had  entered 
the  huge  customs  shed.  He  did  not  notice 
that  this  person  followed  him  from  the  shed 
to  the  row  of  taxis ;  that  he  signaled  a  chauf- 
feur, who  promptly  approached  him.  He 
did  not  notice  that  his  porter  rebuffed  sev- 
eral other  chauffeurs  and  followed  the  man 
who  had  been  signaled,  and  that  the  gentle- 
man who  had  done  the  signaling,  smiling 
relievedly,  immediately  climbed  into  a  limou- 
sine, which  shot  down  a  side  street. 


16  LOOT 

Observing  none  of  these  things — if  he  had 
he  might  have  thought  that  the  well-dressed 
man  was  merely  a  tout  for  some  hotel  assur- 
ing himself  that  the  disembarked  passenger 
would  patronize  the  one  he  represented ;  in- 
deed, the  porter  who  had  been  bribed  to 
deliver  the  bags  to  a  certain  chauffeur  had 
some  such  idea — Hildreth  tipped  his  porter, 
gave  the  name  of  the  hotel  mentioned  in 
Arabin's  wireless  and  started  to  step  into 
the  taxi.  He  drew  back  suddenly. 

"I  say,"  he  said  to  the  chauffeur,  "the 
Battenberg  is  in  which  direction  from 
here?" 

"North,"  and  the  chauffeur  pointed. 

"It's  not  easy  to  get  lost  in  this  town,  is 
it?  IVe  understood  that  the  streets  all  mn 
north  and  south,  and  east  and  west." 

"Well,  they  do  mostly,  except  way  down- 
town," said  the  chauffeur.  "From  here  up- 
town they  all  run  that  way." 

"Then  I'll  walk,"  said  Hildreth  decid- 
edly. "I  want  to  see  your  charming  city. 


LOOT  17 

Take  my  bags  to  the  Battenberg  and — what 
will  the  charge  be?" 

The  chauffeur  colored. 

"Say,  you  might  get  lost  at  that.  You'd 
better  let  me  take  you  to  your  hotel  first." 

"Thank  you ;  but  I  rather  think  I  can  look 
after  myself,"  smiled  Hildreth.  "A  dol- 
lar and  a  half?  Six  and  three-pence,  eh? 
Jove,  but  things  are  steep  here  now,  aren't 
they  ?  Here  you  are,  my  man,  with  a  shilling 
— a  quarter — for  yourself.  And  what 's  your 
number  ?  Seven-nought-three-four.  No 
harm  done,  my  man.  You  needn't  be  angry. 
You  don't  know  me  and  I  don't  know  you, 
and  I'm  trusting  my  bags  to  you.  I  say,  if 
you  don't  care  to  take  the  bags  up  there  I 
don't  doubt  but  that  I  can  find  somebody 
who  will.  What  do  you  say?" 

"Why— why— that's  all  right,  sir.  Of 
course  I'll  take  them  up.  But  you'd  better 
ride,  sir." 

He  said  this  last  so  anxiously  that  the 
[Englishman  stared. 


18  LOOT 

"Oh,  I  say  now,  I'm  not  an  infant.  I'll 
come  to  no  harm.  Mind — the  Battenberg." 
•  A  rather  amazing  thing  to  do;  but  Hil- 
dreth had  been  born  and  bred  in  London, 
where  a  cabby  would  think  twice — oh,  two 
hundred  times — before  he  would  run  off 
with  a  gentleman's  baggage.  Having  pro- 
cured the  man's  number,  Hildreth  imagined 
that  he  had  been  the  very  essence  of  precau- 
tion. He  did  not  bother  to  cast  a  glance  be- 
hind him  as,  delighted  with  the  thought  of 
really  stretching  his  legs  after  the  confine- 
ment on  shipboard,  as  ready  to  absorb  im- 
pressions as  a  child  at  a  circus,  he  dashed 
across  Wall  Street  and  plunged  into  the 
city. 

If  he  had  looked  behind  him  he  would 
have  been  amazed  at  the  expression  on  the 
chauffeur 's  face.  If  he  had  been  able  to  hear 
the  man's  words  he  would  have  been  still 
further  amazed;  for  in  a  very  ecstasy  of 
passion  the  man  made  as  though  to  throw 
away  the  money  Hildreth  had  given  him. 
He  caught  himself,  however,  as  though 


LOOT  19 

afraid  his  action  would  be  noticed;  but  he 
could  not  control  the  pallor,  the  extreme  pal- 
lor, of  his  face,  and  his  lips  trembled  as  he 
whispered : 

"[What '11  he  say?   [What'll  he  say?" 

It  took  him,  so  nervous  was  he,  nearly  two 
minutes  to  crank  his  car.  And  Hildreth  did 
not  look  backward  as  he  proceeded  along  the 
cross-town  street. 

Nothing  he  had  seen  in  Europe  was  like 
New  York,  Hildreth  decided.  He  had  made 
his  way  to  Broadway,  thence  down-town  to 
the  skyscraper  district,  and  from  there  up- 
town to  Madison  Square  and  along  Fifth 
Avenue  to  Central  Park".  A.  long  walk,  and 
It  had  taken  three  hours ;  but,  like  the  aver- 
age Englishman,  Hildreth  was  a  great  pedea- 
Irian. 

The  more  he  walked,  the  more  his  precon- 
ceived notions,  which  had  begun  to  fall  from 
him  when  first  he  glimpsed  the  city  from  the 
Lucantia's  deck,  left  him,  to  be  replaced  by; 
wonderment  and  regret.  The  Italian  colony 
he  had  passed  through  on  his  way  from  West 


2Q  LOOT 

Street  to  Broadway,  the  amazing  buildings 
down-town,  the  mammoth  hotels  up-town, 
the  throngs  afoot,  in  carriage,  in  auto,  of  the 
Avenue — all  these  were  but  the  prelude,  he 
felt  bitterly,  to  a  greater  show  that  he  was 
not  to  see.  And  New  York  itself — New 
York  was  but  a  prelude  itself. 

He  stood  a  moment  on  the  corner  of  Fifty- 
ninth  Street,  staring  across  the  busy  plaza, 
flanked  by  great  hostelries  and  the  green  of 
the  Park.  His  watch  told  him  it  was  almost 
six  o'clock — time  for  him  to  make  his  way 
to  his  hotel  to  await  the  arrival  of  Arabin. 

A  policeman  directed  him  how  to  get  to  the 
Battenberg.  It  was  not  far  and  he  reached 
it  in  ten  minutes. 

"Ah,  yes;  Mr.  Hildreth,"  said  a  clerk  as 
he  registered.  "Your  things  have  arrived 
and  are  already  in  the  room  engaged  for  you 
by  Mr.  Arabin."  He  summoned  a  bell  boy. 
"Show  Mr.  Hildreth  to  six-forty-one." 

"This  way,  sir,"  said  the  boy. 

He  led  th§  way;  to  an  elevator  and  stood 


LOOT  21 

aside  for  the  Englishman  to  enter.  Hildreth 
hesitated. 

".What  floor  is  my;  room  on?"  he  de- 
manded of  the  boy. 

"Six-forty-one,  sir — sixth  floor.'' 

One  moment  Hildreth  hesitated.  There  is 
a  shamefaced  pride  that  bids  us  do  the  thing 
we  do  not  wish  to  do  lest  people  think  ill  of 
us.  There  is  a  greater  pride  that  bids  us  do 
as  we  wish,  regardless  of  wagging  tongues  or 
contemptuous  thoughts.  If  it  were  necessary, 
for  Hildreth  to  ride  in  an  elevator — if  a 
matter  of  importance  depended  on  such  rid- 
ing—he would  do  so;  but  where  it  was  not 
necessary  he  would  refuse,  regardless  of 
sneers.  As  great  heights  torture  some  per- 
sons, so  a  ride  in  an  elevator  tortured  Hil- 
dreth. It  was  his  one  idiosyncrasy,  as  has 
been  told ;  and,  being  perfectly  normal  in  all 
other  ways,  he  felt  no  great  shame  in  indulg- 
ing himself  in  this  one  matter. 

"Come  back  to  the  desk,"  he  said. 

He  spoke  to  the  clerk. 


22  LOOT 

"I  say.  I  don't  care  about  being  situated 
on  the  sixth  floor.  Too  many;  flights  of 
stairs." 

" Plenty  of  elevators,"  suggested  the 
clerk,  with  a  lift  of  the  eyebrows. 

"And  I  don't  use  'em,"  said  Hildreth 
shortly.  "I  walk.  Have  you  a  room  on  the 
second  floor?" 

Hotel  clerks  are  used  to  idiosyncrasies; 
this  one,  beyond  the  lifted  eyebrows,  gave  no 
further  sign  that  Hildreth 's  dislike  for  ele- 
yators  was  at  all  remarkable. 

"Certainly,  Mr.  Hildreth,"  he  said.  "Boy, 
show  Mr.  Hildreth  to  two  hundred  and  four. 
I'll  have  a  porter  transfer  your  things  im- 
mediately, Mr.  Hildreth." 

And  a  few  moments  later  it  was  done.  Hil- 
idreth  dismissed  the  porter  and  turned  on  the 
water  in  his  bath.  Half  an  hour  later  he  was 
dressed  for  the  evening.  Undoubtedly  Ara- 
bin  would  offer  him  some  form  of  entertain- 
ment to-night  and  he  wished  to  be  properly, 
attired  for  it;  but  shortly  after  seven  the 
pangs  of  hunger  assailed  him.  His  long 


LOOT  23 

walk  had  given  a  fillip  to  an  appetite  tliat 
was  always  healthy.  He  decided  to  wait  no 
longer  on  the  off  chance  that  Arabin  would 
wish  him  to  dine  with  him.  He  transferred 
the  design  Carlow  had  given  him  from  the 
business  suit  he  had  worn  to  his  evening 
clothes.  He  could  not  forbear  glancing  ap- 
preciatively at  the  drawing  as  he  did  so. 

A  wonderfully  beautiful  and  original  de- 
sign! He  would  not  have  thought  Carlow 
possessed  such  taste.  But  then,  he  guessed 
• — and  rightly,  too — Carlow  had  probably 
had  some  able  artist  design  it  for  him. 

Of  course  there  was  no  chance  of  his  see- 
ing the  necklace  to-night.  That  would  not 
come  until  to-morrow,  anyway.  Indeed,  he 
would  have  postponed  seeing  it  until  Thurs- 
'day  just  before  sailing  time,  had  it  been  the 
right  thing  to  do.  He  begrudged  every  mo- 
ment taken  from  sight-seeing ;  but,  of  course, 
lie  should  have  to  examine  the  thing  to-mor- 
row and  see  whether  any  minor  alterations 
were  necessary  to  make  it  conform  exactly 
to  the  design.  He  could  not  trust  himself  to 


24  LOOT 

give  a  proper  decision  on  the  very  day  lie 
sailed,  rushed  as  he  would  be  then. 

But,  though  he  knew  he  could  not  see  the 
jewels  to-night,  he  carried  the  design  in  his 
pocket.  It  was  such  a  beautiful  thing,  so 
wonderfully  conceived,  that  he  liked  to  have 
it  with  him. 

The  Battenberg  is  not  the  gayest  of  New 
York's  hotels,  nor  is  it  the  dullest.  It  aims 
at  the  happy  medium  between  the  two.  The 
dining-room  was  thronged  with  well- 
groomed  men  and  women,  and  among  the 
latter  were  a  few  faces  that  made  Hildreth 
smile  with  impersonal  appreciation.  He  was 
rather  glad  he  was  able  to  dine  alone;  it 
gave  him  opportunity  to  observe,  to  drink  in 
the  atmosphere  of  the  place. 

A  perfect  dinner,  served  well,  was  finished 
at  last.  He  lighted  a  cigar  and  strolled  out 
into  the  lobby.  There  he  sat  down  to  await 
the  arrival  of  Arabin.  He  hoped  Arabin 
was  a  young  man  and  that  he  would  propose 
seeing  or  doing  something  worth  while.  The 
electric  atmosphere  of  Manhattan  did  not 


LOOT  25 

incline  Hildreth  to  a  quiet  chatty  evening. 
He  wanted  to  see  things,  to  do  things.  And 
he  hoped  Arabin  would  hurry  up  and  not 
make  him  waste  a  perfectly  good  evening. 
He  had  finished  his  cigar  and  was  just  be- 
coming impatient  when  a  bell  boy  called  his 
name. 

"  You  're  wanted  at  the  telephone,  'Mr. 
Hildreth." 

He  led  Hildreth  to  a  booth. 

"This  Mr.  Hildreth?"  asked  a  cordial 
voice.  "This  is  Arabin.  Awfully  sorry  not 
to  have  been  able  to  meet  you  at  the  dock  or 
get  down  to  the  hotel  before  this,  Mr.  Hil- 
dreth ;  but  a  very  important  business  matter, 
which  couldn't  be  postponed,  has  delayed 
me." 

"That's  all  right,"  said  Hildreth.  "Don't 
let  me  interfere  with  you  in  any  way.  [Very 
good  of  you  to  think  of  me  at  all." 

He  hoped  Arabin  would  continue  and  tell 
him  that  he  could  not  see  him  to-night.  He 
wanted  to  wander  out  into  the  city.  But  he 
was  doomed  to  disappointment. 


26  LOOT 

"I'd  planned  on  having  you  go  to  the  the- 
ater with  me — The  Sunlight  Girl.  Bully 
show !  And  a  little  supper  party  afterward. 
But  I  find  I  can't  get  away  for  an  hour  or 
so.  Suppose  you  run  over  to  the  theater  and 
I'll  join  you  later.  It's  the  Yandergelt.  I 
called  up  this  afternoon  and  had  them  re- 
serve seats.  I've  just  phoned  the  box  office 
and  had  them  put  one  of  the  seats  in  your 
name.  If  you'll  go  over  there  now  you'll  not 
miss  any  of  the  show  and  I'll  join  you  as 
soon  as  possible." 

There  was  nothing  for  Hildreth  to  do  but 
accept.  He  would  have  preferred  to  walk 
about  the  city,  but  Arabin  had  been  ex- 
tremely decent,  looking  up  a  hotel  for  him, 
and  all  that.  It  would  be  positively  churlish 
to  refuse.  And,  after  all,  one  learned  more 
about  a  country  by  talking  with  its  inhabi- 
tants than  by  merely  looking  at  them.  The 
supper  party  would  be  most  delightful,  as  he 
hardly  imagined  that  Arabin  meant  that  only 
they  two  should  compose  it. 


LOOT  27 

So,  with  a  pleasant  word  of  thanks,  lie 
hung  up  the  receiver.  From  the  clerk  he 
inquired  the  location  of  the  Yandergelt  The- 
ater, and  learned  that  he  had  only  to  walk 
west  to  Broadway,  a  street  that  he  was  told 
he  could  not  mistake,  and  then  a  few  blocks 
to  the  south. 

He  went  to  his  room,  got  his  hat,  stick  and 
coat,  and  a  few  minutes  later  had  turned 
into  Broadway.  He  was  reluctant  to  leave 
it  and  enter  the  theater,  but  he  did  so ;  and 
the  box-office  clerk  promptly  handed  him  a 
ticket  on  mention  of  his  name. 

The  overture  was  being  played  as  he 
reached  his  seat,  the  second  from  the  aisle, 
well  down  front  in  the  center.  In  a  moment 
the  curtain  rose.  It  was  the  usual  thing, 
Hildreth  guessed,  the  sort  of  thing  that  runs 
a  year  if  it  runs  at  all — tuneful  music,  clever 
dancing,  and  quantities  of  girls  of  various 
grades  of  pulchritude.  He  was  young 
enough  not  to  have  entirely  outgrown  this 
sort  of  thing.  He  leaned  back  in  his  seat,  his 


28  LOOT 

coat  and  hat  resting  on  the  vacant  seat  that 
jirabin  would  claim  later,  prepared  to  enjoy; 
himself. 

Twenty  minutes  passed — twenty  minutes 
of  antics  on  the  part  of  the  comedians,  of 
dancing,  of  singing  by  lesser  principals. 
Then  there  came  the  attitude  of  expectance 
on  the  part  of  the  audience  that  heralded  the 
entrance  of  the  star.  Hildreth  had  seen  her 
name  in  the  electric  lights  outside  the  the- 
ater and  had  been  struck  with  its  oddity, 
thinking  it,  of  course,  an  assumed  name. 
Morn  Light  did  not  sound  like  a  real  name. 
He  supposed,  of  course,  she  was  extremely 
blonde.  So  the  fact  that  she  was  a  brunette 
surprised  him. 

And  such  a  brunette!  Hair  as  black  as 
night,  yet  with  a  brilliance  that  reflected  the 
footlights.  Eyes  that  were  large,  limpid, 
soft,  yet  glowing  with  a  light  of  merriment, 
as  though  she  enjoyed  her  work.  Supple, 
slim,  graceful  as  only  expert  dancers  can  be, 
graceful  without  the  underlying  effect  of 
muscular  effort,  she  whirled  on  to  the  stage, 


LOOT  29 

and  dropped  into  a  graceful  curtsy  before 
the  comedian,  supposed  to  be  a  reigning 
monarch  of  some  mythical  land,  come  to  visit 
the  star's  country.  She  rose,  retreated 
slightly  and  began  a  silly  song — Welcome  to 
Our  City — that  yet  had  in  it  opportunity  for 
the  display  of  a  sweet,  charming,  though  not 
extremely  powerful  voice. 

Hildreth  leaned  forward  now.  He  was  not 
the  type  to  lose  his  heart  to  a  vision  across 
the  footlights.  He  knew  that  such  a  vision's 
charms  often  lose  their  glamour  in  the 
searching  sun  of  noonday.  But  this  girl — 
she  was  different  somehow.  There  was  blood 
in  her — good  blood.  That  was  evident  in 
every  move  of  her  lithe  body,  every  note  of 
her  pure  voice.  A  lady,  without  doubt.  And 
So  lovely !  He  drew  in  his  breath  gaspingly, 
as  scores  of  other  impressionable  young  men 
were  doing  at  sight  of  her.  Yet  Hildreth  dif- 
fered from  these  in  that  he  was  not  impres- 
sionable— at  least,  never  before  to-night. 

Somehow  it  seemed  that  she  was  singing 
the  song  to  him ;  that  she  was  welcoming  him 


30  LOUT 

to  the  city.  He  wished  that  it  was  so.  For 
the  hundredth  time,  and  more  bitterly  than 
heretofore,  he  cursed  the  commission  of  the 
necklace,  which  had  robbed  him  of  his  vaca- 
tion. Had  he  time,  it  might  not  be  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  obtain  an  introduction  to  Miss 
Morn  Light.  Morn  Light !  The  name  pos- 
sessed a  quaint  charm,  more  fascinating  by 
reason  of  the  midnight  coloring  of  the  girl's 
eyes  and  hair.  Suddenly  he  hoped  that  it 
was  her  real  name.  And  then  he  felt  him- 
self blushing  to  the  very  roots  of  his  hair; 
for  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  star  was  look- 
ing right  at  him,  singing  directly  to  him.  He 
tried  to  meet  her  eyes.  He  was  only  twenty 
feet  or  so  away  from  her  as  she  came  close  to 
the  footlights.  Did  she  really  see  him  ?  Was 
she  really  looking  at  him  ?  There  was  noth- 
ing cheap,  nothing  flirtatious  in  her  look ;  it 
was  rather  as  though  she  recognized  him. 
Absurd,  of  course,  but — so  it  seemed. 

Then  he  felt  a  chill  of  alarm.  Her  eyes 
had  turned  from  him  a  moment ;  and  as  they 
came  back,  as  though  fascinated,  they  seemed 


LOOT  31 

frightened,  seemed  to  hold  horror  in  them. 
In  the  middle  of  the  chorus  of  her  song  her 
voice  faltered ;  the  easy,  graceful  dance  step 
slackened.  Her  ankle  turned  under  her 
and  she  collapsed  on  the  stage.  Yet,  even 
as  she  fell,  it  seemed  to  Hildreth  that  her 
eyes  flashed  him  some  message.  Absurd, 
but — it  seemed  so. 

There  was  a  gasp  that  became  one  of  relief 
from  the  audience  as  Morn  Light  sat  up; 
that  became  one  of  pity  as  she  seized  her 
ankle  in  one  hand  as  she  sat  there.  The 
pantomime  was  sufficient.  The  orchestra 
ceased  playing.  The  comedian  rushed  to 
her  side  and  lifted  her  to  her  feet.  He  sup- 
ported her  to  the  wings.  Other  hands 
reached  for  her  there  and  the  comedian 
turned  back  on  the  stage.  He  continued 
with  the  play,  plainly  improvising  to  cover 
the  star's  absence,  and  a  round  of  handclap- 
ping  greeted  his  efforts  to  carry  off  the  con-* 
tretemps. 

Then,  as  the  curtain  went  down,  a  man  in 
evening  dress,  plainly  the  manager,  stepped 


32  LOOT, 

before  it.  He  made  a  short  announcement 
to  the  effect  that  Miss  Light  had  twisted  her 
ankle  slightly,  but  would  appear  in  the  next 
act.  She  would  do  no  dancing,  however, 
and  he  craved  the  audience's  indulgence. 
Applause  greeted  him  and  he  retired.  Hil- 
dreth's  impotent  excitement  died.  She  was 
not  seriously  hurt ;  she  would  come  on  in  the 
next  act;  he  should  see  her  again. 

The  man  next  him  rose  and,  with  an  apol- 
ogy, passed  by  him.  Other  men  were  leav- 
ing the  orchestra  for  cigar  or  drink.  Hil- 
dreth  felt  that  a  smoke  would  soothe  his 
restlessness.  He,  too,  rose  and  stepped  into 
the  aisle.  As  he  did  so  an  usher  spoke  to 
him. 

' '  Mr.  Hildreth,  sir  ? ' '  His  voice  was  very 
low  and,  had  he  not  mentioned  Hildreth 's 
name,  the  Englishman  would  not  have  real- 
ized that  he  was  being  addressed.  The  usher 
was  staring  straight  ahead. 

"Yes,"  said  Hildreth. 

"Program,  sir?  You  haven't  one,  have 
,  sir?  Here,  sir.  There's  a  note  inside 


LOOT  33 

it,  sir.  Please  don't  read  it  here,  sir.  Read 
it  in  the  smoking-room.  Please,  sir!" 

And  the  usher  passed  swiftly  down  the 
aisle,  offering  programs  to  those  who  did  not 
have  them  already. 

Hildreth  was  a  bit  more  quick-witted, 
perhaps,  than  the  majority  of  his  country- 
men. His  first  idea,  of  course,  was  that 
Arabin  had  written  him  some  excuse  for  not 
joining  him;  but  the  usher  had  begged  him 
not  to  read  it  here  and  had  concealed  the 
note  inside  the  program.  And  the  youth 
had  seemed  in  most  desperate,  sober  earnest. 
Hildreth,  hat  in  hand,  passed  up  the  aisle. 
He  went  directly  to  the  smoking-room. 
There,  shielded  from  observation  by  the  pro- 
gram, behind  which  he  carefully  kept  the 
note,  he  tore  the  envelope  open  and  read  the 
enclosure : 

"Come  at  once  to  my  dressing-room. 
Stage  entrance.  Doorkeeper  will  admit  you. 
At  once,  please!" 


34  LOOT 

And  it  was  signed  by  the  girl  he  had  just 
seen  on  the  stage  for  the  first  time,  whose 
eyes  he  thought  had  flashed  him  some  sort 
of  message — Morn  Light ! 


CHAPTER  III 

HILDKETH  VISITS  AN  ACTRESS;  AND  EEADS 
ANOTHER  NOTE 

AMAZED,  Hildreth  reread  the  note.  It 
bore  no  salutation,  but  the  envelope  in  which 
it  had  been  enclosed  was  addressed:  "Mr. 
[Wade  Hildreth,  third  row,  second  seat  left 
of  center  aisle." 

Undoubtedly  the  note  was  meant  for  him, 
but  how  did  the  girl  know  his  name  I  How 
had  she  recognized  him  ?  He  had  not  been 
mistaken  in  his  belief  that  her  eyes  had  held 
recognition,  he  was  now  certain.  And  why; 
did  she  want  him  to  come  to  her  dressing- 
room  ?  [Why  had  the  usher  been  so  anxioua 
that  no  one  should  observe  Hildreth  read- 
ing the  note  ? 

Plashed  through  his  mind  a  dozen  possi- 
bilities. Had  either  the  outsiders  or  the  in- 

35 


36  LOOT 

siders  in  the  railroad  struggle,  at  which  he 
was  to  represent  Carlow,  learned  of  his 
presence  in  New  York  ?  Did  they  plan  some 
surprise  for  him  ?  But  that  was  absurd ! 

Hildreth  was  not  naturally  a  suspicious 
person ;  yet  even  the  most  unsuspecting  per- 
son, having  as  weighty  commissions  to  exe- 
cute as  did  he,  would  be  apt  to  consider  any 
move  before  making  it.  Stage  entrances  are 
not  exactly  the  proper  thing  for  men  en- 
gaged on  weighty  businesses. 

But  the  note,  if  anything,  was  an  appeal. 
And  what  possible  harm  could  come  to  him 
from  a  walk  round  to  the  stage  entrance  of 
the  Yandergelt?  Suddenly  he  laughed. 
Arabin  had  spoken  of  a  supper  party.  Per- 
haps he  had  meant  a  supper  party  with  Miss 
Light  as  one  of  the  guests  I  A  very  wealthy 
jeweler,  with  entree  to  all  sorts  of  society, 
might  very  well  have  a  large  stage  acquaint- 
ance that  included  the  charming  Morn 
Light. 

If  that  was  the  case But  was  it  ? 

[Why  did  Miss  Light  want  him  to  come  now, 


LOOT  37 

instead  of  later  ?    [Why  did  she  not  mention 

Arabin's  party?  [Why; He  looked  again 

at  the  note.  .The  handwriting  made  him 
think  of  the  look  of  alarm  in  her  eyes,  the 
horror  almost  that  he  had  seen  in  them ;  for 
the  writing  had  been  put  into  the  envelope 
without  blotting  and  was  slightly  blurred. 
Evidently  Miss  Light  had  been  in  a  hurry. 
Moreover,  the  writing  itself — strong,  char- 
acterful— was  proof  in  itself  that  it  had 
been  hastily  written.  [Why  the  great  haste 
if  Arabin's  party  was  the  only  motive  for 
the  writing  of  the  note  ? 

He  laughed  again,  this  time  somewhat 
self -contemptuously.  A  little  while  before 
he  had  really  been  quite  wrought  up  because 
he  did  not  possess  the  inestimable  privilege 
of  an  acquaintance  with  Morn  Light,  had 
found  it  necessary  to  restrain  his  inclination 
to  go  at  once  to  her  assistance.  And  now, 
when  the  loveliest  girl  he  had  ever  seen,  who 
radiated  a  personal  charm  and  magnetism 
more  compelling  than  any  he  had  ever 
hitherto  experienced,  wrote  Tn'm.  a  note,  ask- 


38  LOOT 

ing  him  to  come  to  her  dressing-room,  he! 
hesitated ! 

He  suddenly  blushed.  How  dare  he  offer 
the  star  of  The  Sunlight  Girl  the  insult  of  a 
suspicious,  hesitant  thought?  He  carefully, 
folded  the  note  and  placed  it  in  the  pocket 
of  his  dress  coat.  Impulse  ruled  him  now. 
He  was  out  in  the  entrance  of  the  theater, 
holding  his  return  check  in  his  hand,  before 
he  quite  realized  that  he  was  not  wearing  his 
overcoat. 

But  dozens  of  other  men  in  evening  dress 
were  venturing  into  the  cafes  near  the 
theater  and  these  had  not  worn  overcoats. 
The  night  was  warm  and  starry.  He  asked 
a  uniformed  attache  of  the  theater  where 
the  stage  entrance  was.  The  attache  grinned 
wisely  and  directed  him.  Hildreth  had 
visited  stage  doors  before.  A  cousin,  fairly 
well  known  on  the  musical-comedy  stage  in 
England,  had  on  several  occasions  bade  him 
call  for  her.  So  he  knew  enough  to  waste 
no  time  in  parley  with  the  door-tender.  He 
pressed  a  bill  into  that  guardian's  hand. 


LOOT  39 

Up  a  narrow  iron  stairway  Hildreth  pro- 
ceeded. On  the  first  landing  was  room  num- 
ber one.  Trembling,  exulting,  all  mystery; 
forgotten  save  that  he  was  to  see  Morn 
Light,  to  talk  with  her,  he  knocked  on  the 
door. 

It  opened  a  few  inches  and  a  brown  head, 
feminine,  protruded.  A  pair  of  light  eyes 
scrutinized. 

"What  do  you  want?  Miss  Light  Is 
resting." 

"Why — why "  stammered  Hildreth. 

«T  J> 

He  got  no  farther.  Another  hand  than 
the  maid's  pushed  the  door  open.  Morn 
Light  stood  before  him,  and  even  the  close 
view  of  the  make-up  on  her  face  could  not 
spoil  the  natural  beauty  that  was  hers.  She 
smiled. 

"Why,  hello,  Ted!  Come  right  in.  Sweet 
of  you  to  call!" 

She  retreated  a  step  and  over  the  maid's 
shoulder  she  frowned;  she  put  a  finger  on 
her  lips;  she  shook  her  head.  Then: 


40  LOOT 

"I  suppose  you  came  to  see  how  badly  I 
:was  liurt.    Dear  of  you  !    Come  in.    And  I 


didn't  even  know  you  were  in  town  I 

did  you  come  ?   Are  you  going  to  take  me  to 

supper  some  night  while  you're  here?" 

She  rattled  along  to  Hildreth's  bewilder- 
ment as  he  entered  the  dressing-room.  Be- 
fore he  could  answer  she  spoke  to  her  maid. 

'  '  Celia,  my  head  bothers  me.  Excitement. 
Run  to  the  drug  store  and  get  some  powders. 
Hurry!  I'm  all  made  up  and  ready,  and 
you  have  ten  minutes;  but  hurry!" 

She  turned  to  Hildreth. 

"Sit  down,  Ted.  Do!"  she  invited. 
"Celia,  please  hurry.  I  can't  sing  if  my 
head  aches." 

"Yes,  Miss  Light,"  said  the  maid.  She 
stepped  through  the  doorway,  leaving  it 
open. 

"Close  the  door,  Celia!"  ordered  the  star. 
"A  draft-  -  " 

The  maid  closed  the  door.  Morn  Light 
sank  on  a  divan  that  ran  along  one  side  of 


<«,£» 


She  pointed  to  the  door  and  shook  her  head 


LOOT  41 

the  little  room.  Through  her  make-up 
Hildreth  could  see  little  drops  of  perspira- 
tion on  her  face.  Her  hands  shook  as  she 
pointed  to  a  chair.  But  as  his  lips  opened 
she  touched  her  own  with  her  finger  again. 
Then  she  pointed  to  the  door  and  shook  her 
head.  The  pantomime  was  clear.  The  maid 
might  be  listening.  But  why?  asked  the 
amazed  Hildreth  of  himself. 

"iWhy,  it's  perfect  ages  since  I've  seen 
you!"  chattered  the  actress.  She  picked  up 
a  fountain  pen  from  the  desk  by  the  divan 
and  reached  for  a  sheet  of  paper.  Bapidly 
she  began  to  write,  and  as  she  wrote  she 
talked.  "I  suppose  the  audience  thought  I 
was  badly  hurt.  Silly  of  me  to  slip  like  that. 
But  it  was  just  a  little  wrench.  I  suppose 
my  understudy's  heart  leaped  for  joy  when 
I  fell.  Cat!" 

She  smiled  as  she  said  this.  Also,  she 
handed  Hildreth  the  paper  on  which  she  had 
been  writing.  The  smile  left  her  face,  and 
again  he  noticed  the  beads  of  perspiration 


42  LOOT 

that  indicated  the  girl  was  undergoing  a 
strain  greater  by  far  than  any  wrenched 
ankle  could  have  caused. 

He  read  what  she  had  handed  him: 

"You're  Ted  Daly;  don't  ask  questions. 
Meet  me  twelve  private  dining-room  at 
Bishop's.  Ask  for  Jacques.  He  will  under- 
stand and  show  you  to  room.  Don't  go  back 
to  theater!  Don't — on  any  account!  Say 
something  polite  about  my  injury.  You're 
Ted  Daly." 

He  lifted  his  amazed  eyes  to  hers.  She 
was  staring  at  him  with  a  concentration  that 
startled  him.  That  she  was  warning  him  of 
something  could  not  be  doubted.  That  she 
was  sincere  in  her  warning  also  could  not  be 
doubted.  Hildreth's  thoughts  were  chaotic. 
!What  did  she  mean? 

"Ted,  give  me  a  cigarette,"  she  said  aloud. 
"I'm  famished  for  one." 

"Certainly,"  he  said,  finding  his  voice  for 
the  first  time,  and  a  bit  surprised  at  his 
huskiness. 


LOOT  43 

He  handed  her  his  case  and  she  selected 
one. 

" Famished  for  a  smoke  I"  she  said  gaily. 

She  pointed  to  the  writing  in  his  hand. 
He  gave  it  to  her.  She  held  it  before  his 
eyes  and  slowly  drew  a  delicate  forefinger 
beneath  the  words  " Don't  go  back  to  the 
theater!"  She  looked  at  him,  a  pleading 
question  in  her  eyes.  He  nodded  assent  and 
relief  showed  in  her  face.  Then  he  remem- 
bered that  his  overcoat  and  stick  remained 
in  the  vacant  seat  which  Arabin  would 
claim.  He  made  a  series  of  movements  to 
represent  a  man  drawing  on  his  coat. 

"What  a  handsome  case!"  she  cried. 
"Perfect  beauty.  I  think  I'll  buy  one  I" 

To  any  eavesdropper  her  accenting  of  the 
last  two  words  might  have  seemed  a  brazen 
hint  for  a  present.  To  Hildreth,  who  could 
see  her  face,  as  any  eavesdropper  might  not, 
it  was  clear  that  she  was  telling  him  to  buy 
an  overcoat. 

Bizarre,  fantastic  as  her  commands 
seemed,  he  was  hypnotized  by  her  beauty 


'44  LOOT 

and  no  less  by  her  deadly  earnestness.  Again 
he  nodded  and  again  relief  showed  from  her 
eyes, 

"You  haven't  told  me  what  brought  you 
to  New  York,  Ted,"  she  said. 

As  she  spoke  she  struck  a  match,  but  she 
did  not  hold  it  to  her  cigarette.  Instead, 
she  held  it  to  the  paper  he  had  returned  to 
her,  which  she  had  twisted  into  a  spill.  From 
its  last  nicker  of  flame  she  lighted  her  cigar- 
ette and  tossed  the  charred,  blackened  rem- 
nant of  her  strangely  indited  warning  on  a 
little  brass  tray. 

"Didn't  expect  to  come  myself,"  he  an- 
swered, "until  quite  recently." 

"And  you  didn't  have  time  to  write  me  a 
little  note !"  she  pouted. 

"I  thought  the  surprise  would  please  you 
better,"  he  answered. 

She  flashed  him  a  look  of  commendation 
for  his  playing  of  his  part ;  and,  stupid  and 
heavy  of  wit  though  he  felt  himself  to  be  in 
the  presence  of  her  perfect  artistry  under 
circumstances  that  somehow  seemed  fraught 


LOOT  45 

with  menace,  he  nevertheless  glowed  to 
think  that  she  approved  his  feeble  attempts 
to  rise  to  the  occasion. 

"Do  you  think  your  ankle  can  stand  the 
strain  of  going  on  again?"  he  asked. 
"Wouldn't  it  be  better  if  you  let  your 
understudy  take  your  place  and— went  out 
to  supper  with  me — now?" 

She  shook  her  head  warningly  and  pointed 
to  the  charred  remains  of  the  writing  in 
which  she  had  made  an  appointment. 

"Couldn't  throw  the  management  down 
for  a  slight  wrench,"  she  replied.  "As  for 
the  supper — I'm  a  popular  lady,  Ted.  All 
appointments  must  be  made  in  writing." 

Again  through  her  levity  ran  the  under- 
current of  deadly  seriousness.  And  once 
again  he  nodded,  just  as  the  maid  knocked 
on  the  door. 

"Come  in!"  called  Morn  Light. 

The  maid  entered  the  dressing-room. 

"I  sent  a  messenger  boy,  Miss  Light,"  she 
said  quickly.  " He 'd  just  delivered  a  note  to 
one  of  the  chorus,  and  I  thought  perhaps  it 


46  LOOT! 

wasn  't  best  for  me  to  leave  you.  A  wrenched 
ankle  sometimes  makes  people  sick,  even 
when  they  think  they're  all  right.  You 
might  twist  it  moving  round.  He'll  be  right 
along  with  the  powders." 

"That  was  thoughtful  of  you,  Celia,"  said 
the  actress. 

If  she  felt  the  slightest  anger  toward  her 
maid — and  she  must  distrust  the  woman,  or 
why  this  extraordinary  precaution  in  writ- 
ing her  warning  and  appointment  ?  thought 
Hildreth — she  concealed  it  marvelously. 

"Curtain's  up,  Miss  Light,"  said  the 
maid.  "You'll  be  going  on  in  five  minutes, 
and  your  hair " 

"Lordy !  How  one  forgets  work  when  an 
old  friend  comes  along!"  cried  Morn. 
" You '11  call  me  up  or  drop  me  a  line,  Ted? 
The  Glen  worth.  Sorry  not  to  be  able  to 
liave  supper  with  you  to-night,  but — some 
other  time,  eh  ?  Good  boy !  Run  along  now, 
and  don 't  forget  I  want  to  see  you.  By-by ! ' ' 

She  gave  him  her  hand.  It  was  hot  and 
moist,  despite  the  coolness  of  her  voice. 


LOOT  47 

"I  won't  forget,"  he  said. 

Then,  the  maid  taking  a  stand  by  her 
mistress'  side  and  her  fingers  beginning  to 
fumble  with  the  lovely  black  tresses,  he 
hesitated  no  longer.  He  backed  out  of  the 
room  and  closed  the  door  behind  him. 
Slowly  he  descended  the  iron  stairs.  In  the 
wings  stood  actors  and  actresses  awaiting 
their  cues;  superior  stage  hands  also  idled 
there.  None  of  them  paid  any  attention  to 
Hildreth  and  he  noticed  none  of  them. 
Mechanically  he  found  his  way  to  the  pas- 
sage that  led  to  the  street. 

Appropriately  he  thought  of  his  conver- 
sation with  Moggrage  the  day  before  he  left 
London.  He  had  reassured  the  senior's 
nervousness  by  stating  that  New  York  was 
very  tame,  and  Moggrage  had  agreed.  And 
yet  within  six  hours  or  so  of  his  landing 
in  New  York  he  found  himself  in  the  very 
midst  of  a  mystery  that  was  amazing.  What 
did  it  mean  ?  He  stood  on  the  curb  of  the 
side  street  on  which  the  stage  entrance 
opened,  trying  to  guess  the  answer. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  GRAY  GHOST  HAS  NO  APPETITE;  HILDEETH 
EATS  CHOP-SUEi; 

IN  THE  rear  of  Patello's,  a  shabby;  little 
Italian  restaurant  on  a  street  in  the  late 
thirties,  off:  Sixth  Avenue,  where  one  might 
find  fair  cooking  and  service,  moderate 
prices  and  a  rather  remarkable  selection  of 
wines,  a  man  sat  drumming  nervously  on  the 
none-too-clean  cloth  with  long  fingers  that, 
beginning  to  taper,  became  suddenly  spatu- 
late  at  the  ends.  His  table  was  next  a  win- 
dow that  opened  on  a  fire  escape.  One  might 
nearly  always  find  him  in  such  a  position — 
that  is,  close  to  a  way  of  escape. 

The  light  Italian  wine  in  his  glass  was  un- 
touched ;  the  cigar  in  his  mouth  was  unlight- 
ed ;  the  little  pile  of  sandwiches  on  the  table 
had  not  diminished  since  the  waiter  had 

48 


LOOT  49 

brought  them,  twenty  minutes  earlier. 
From  these  signs,  and  his  occasional  glanc- 
ing at  his  watch,  it  was  not  hard  to  deduce 
that  he  awaited  some  one.  And  it  was  equal- 
ly easy  of  deduction  that  his  welcome  would 
hold  the  warmth  of  anger,  not  of  pleasure; 
for  his  gray  eyes  smoldered  in  their  deep 
sockets  and  his  thin  lips  parted  every  now 
and  then  in  a  smile  that  contained  no  mirth. 

He  was  tall,  slim,  fashionably  attired, 
though  not  in  evening  clothes.  His  business 
suit,  of  a  dark  gray  material,  had  evidently 
been  cut  by  a  tailor  who  knew  his  business. 
There  was  nothing  noisy  about  his  raiment ; 
he  wore  no  jewelry ;  his  tie  was  gray ;  so  was 
his  cloth  hat,  hanging  on  a  hook  above  his 
head.  So,  indeed,  was  his  hair. 

Even  his  complexion  was  of  a  grayish 
tinge,  as  though  some  remote  illness  had  set 
its  stamp  on  his  features.  But  it  was  re- 
mote; the  cords  that  showed  in  his  wrists 
were  proof  enough  that  here  was  a  man  of 
more  than  normal  strength.  And  the  high 
forehead  proved  that  strength  was  guided 


50  LOOT 

by  brains,  though  a  certain  predacious  ex- 
pression about  the  nose  and  mouth  would 
have  caused  one  to  wonder  about  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  brains  moved  the  strength. 
His  age  was  indeterminate — it  might  have 
been  fifty;  it  might  have  been  forty.  Cer- 
tainly it  was  no  less. 

That  his  eyes  gave  a  truer  indication  of 
his  mental  state  than  his  easily  lolling  po- 
sition was  proved  when  his  cigar,  clipped 
through  by  the  strong,  nervously  working 
teeth,  fell  to  the  floor.  His  lips  moved 
silently  and  he  held  out  his  hand  and  kept 
it  before  him,  staring  at  it  until  its  vibra- 
tions had  apparently  ceased.  Will  had  con- 
quered nervousness.  He  put  another  cigar 
in  his  mouth  and  looked  toward  the  main 
entrance  of  Patello's.  Two  men  entered  at 
the  moment  and  made  their  way  directly  to 
his  table.  They  sat  down. 

"Well?  Got  him?"  demanded  the  man 
in  gray. 

The  others  shook  their  heads.    The  spat- 


LOOT  51 

ulate  fingers  commenced  drumming  on  the 
table,  but  immediately  ceased.  It  was  as 
though  he  would  not  permit  any;  of  his 
energy  to  dribble  away  in  nervous  displays. 

"Well,  what's  the  excuse  this  time?"  he 
demanded  sardonically.  "You,  'Brant"— • 
and  he  spoke  to  the  younger  of  the  two  ar- 
rivals, an  immaculately  attired  youth  whose 
mouth  perpetually  closed  firmly,  as  though 
Its  possessor  knew  of  the  loose  weakness  of 
his  lips  and  endeavored  to  hide  it — "you 
said  you'd  get  him  at  the  dock.  I  left  it  to 
you  and  you  muddled  it — you  ass!" 

Despite  the  control  of  his  muscles,  despite 
the  control  of  his  voice,  his  tones  quivered 
slightly,  giving  an  impression  of  violent 
wrath  that  would  have  been  no  greater  had 
he  raged  in  fury. 

The  younger  man,  Brant,  trembled;  his 
mouth  drooped ;  the  lips  fell  apart  and  im- 
mediately closed,  with  their  pathetic  expres- 
sion of  firmness. 

"I  steered  him  to  Blaney,"  he  defended 


52  LOOT 

himself.  "Blaney  had  him  booked  for  a 
ride  in  his  car.  How  could  I  know  that  the 
man  would  walk?" 

"You  could  have  waited,"  snapped  the 
gray  man. 

He  turned  to  the  other  man,  a  short, 
stout,  prosperous-appearing  individual  who 
looked  as  though  he  might  be  a  comfortable 
business  man. 

"You,  Ashby,  you  bungled  the  hotel 
matter." 

The  stout  man  shivered  slightly. 

How  on  earth  could  I  tell  that  he 
wouldn't  take  the  room  I'd  picked  for 
him!"  he  demanded.  "I'd  engaged — had 
engaged — six-forty-one.  I  was  waiting  with 
Foote  in  six-forty-two.  It  would  have  been 
a  cinch.  I  had  everything  all  ready,  sponge 
soaked — everything.  Intended  to  rush  him 
down  rear  elevator,  pretend  he  was  sick, 
later  telephone  in  his  name  that  he  was  go- 
ing to  spend  the  night  with  Arabin,  remain 
with  him  during  the  rest  of  his  stay,  send 
for  his  things — but  he  refused  the  room.  He 


LOOT  53 

took  one  on  the  second  floora  [What  chance 
was  there  then?" 

"But  you  sat  next  him  at  the  theater,  you 
dunderhead!"  snapped  the  gray  man. 
"Couldn't  you  have  kept  in  touch  with 
him?" 

"Well,  who  on  earth  would  have  expected 
that  he'd  disappear  and  leave  his  coat  and 
cane  behind?"  protested  the  stout  man.  "I 
got  up  for  a  smoke  apparently — really  so's 
to  be  able  to  trail  him  if  he  went  out,  with- 
out seeming  to  do  so.  It  wouldn't  have  done 
to  follow  him  right  from  his  seat.  And  when 
he  went  into  the  smoking-room  without  his 
coat — well,  I  stepped  to  a  phone  to  let  you 
know  it  was  O.  K.  so  far.  When  I  came 
back  he  was  gone.  But  I  thought  he  was  in 
the  lobby  somewhere.  I  went  back  to  my 
seat ;  his  coat  and  stick  were  still  there.  How 
could  I  guess  that  he  wasn't  coming  back?" 

The  gray  man  was  silent  a  moment. 

"Did  nothing  to  make  you  think  he  was 
suspicious?" 

"Not  a  thing,"  protested  the  stout  man. 


54  LOOT 

"He'd  been  lucky — that  was  all.  Blaney 
said  lie  couldn't  have  been  wise  at  all.  He 
simply  wanted  to  see  the  city,  and  Blaney 
naturally  didn't  dare  follow  him  in  his  taxi. 
He  might  have  been  seen,  and  then  this 
Hildreth  would  have  suspected.  Anyway, 
he  went  to  his  hotel,  didn't  he?  That  he 
took  another  room  looks  funny — but  he  fell 
for  "Williams'  telephone,  didn't  he?  He 
went  to  the  show  all  right,  didn't  he  ?" 

"And  he  left  itl"  snapped  the  gray  man. 

"But  who'd  have  dreamed  it?  Without 
his  coat?"  asked  the  man  Ashby. 

The  teeth  of  the  gray  man  clicked  slightly. 

"You  waited  in  the  theater?" 

"Until  the  show  was  over.  In  the  middle 
of  the  second  act  I  got  leery.  I  telephoned 
you  again,  as  you  know.  You  told  me  to 
stick  and  that  you'd  have  others  busy  out- 
side. I  went  back  to  my  seat.  When  "Will- 
iams showed  up,  prepared  to  play  Arabin, 
I  was  there,  as  he  '11  tell  you.  But  when  the 
show  ended — well,  I  came  right  up  here  and 


LOOT  55 

met  Brant  just  outside,  on  his  way;  in  to  see 
you." 

"YouVe  got  the  hotel  watched?"  de- 
manded the  gray  man  of  Brant. 

"Every  corner — full  description,  Of 
course  if  he  comes  in  a  taxi,  right  to  the  door 
— it  can't  very  well  be  done  there." 

"No!"  Again  the  gray  man  was  silent. 
"Seeley  ready?" 

"If  he  gets  back  to  his  hotel,"  said  the 
loose-lipped  man,  "Seeley  will  get  him  out- 
side again  somehow.  Then " 

"Yes,  then!"  said  the  gray  man  with  a 
sneer.  1 1  Then !  It 's  never  now !  Oh,  you  full- 
fledged  asses !  If  you  hadn't  bungled " 

A  waiter  approached. 

"Telephone  for  you,  Mr.  Atchison." 

The  gray  man  rose  and  left  the  table. 
Stout  man  and  slim  youth  stared  apprehen- 
sively at  each  other. 

"I  wish  he'd  drop  it,"  said  the  stout  man. 

"Tell  him  so,"  said  Brant. 

Ashby  nodded.    He  mopped  his  forehead 


56  LOOT 

and  poured  himself  a  glass  of  wine.  Neither 
said  more  while  Atchison  was  gone.  He  was 
in  a  slightly  better  humor  when  he  returned. 

"Williams,  thank  heaven,  has  a  few 
brains!"  he  said.  "He's  found  the  chauf- 
feur who  took  Hildreth  away.  Took  a  taxi 
right  under  your  nose,  Ashby.  Right  at  the 
corner.  Drove  to  a  clothing  store  and  dis- 
missed the  taxi.  I  suppose  you  can  guess 
what  he  went  there  for." 

"A  coat!"  gasped  Ashby. 

"You're  coming  on,"  sneered  the  gray 
man.  ".Williams  found  out  what  kind. 
Black  raincoat.  He's  telephoned  Seeley  and 
the  others." 

"What  others?"  inquired  Brant. 

The  gray  man's  thin  lips  parted  in  a 
sneer. 

"I  don't  suppose  either  of  you  can  divorce 
action  from  excitement,  can  you?  Because 
I'm  not  ranting  round,  you  imagine,  I  sup- 
pose, that  I've  done  nothing.  What  others? 
Why,  you  triple-plated  idiots,  don't  you 
suppose  that  the  moment  you,  Ashby,  tele- 


LOOT  57 

phoned  me  that  he'd  been  gone  half  an  act,  I 
got  busy  at  once?  I  knew  he'd  not  come 
back.  I  knew  he'd  tumbled  somehow.  Just 
what  that  somehow  is — somebody  leaked. 
When  I  find  out  who  that  somebody  is  — ^" 
He  did  not  finish  the  threat. 

"Adamson,"  he  continued  after  a  mo- 
ment, "has  two  men  watching  at  police  head- 
quarters. If  he  goes  down  there — well, 
Williams  had  sense  enough  to  phone  the 
others  first  about  the  black  raincoat.  Not 
much,  but,  with  the  rest  of  his  description,  it 
will  help.  Williams  has  brains — more  than 
I  can  say  for  you  two !  I  left  the  hotel  busi- 
ness to  you,  Brant.  If  there  9a  a  slip-up  there 

.  Snyder  is  watching  Arabin's  house. 

The  Tenderloin  police  station — that's  the  one 
any  officer  near  the  theater  would  have  sent 
him  to — is  being  watched.  Of  course  if  he 
got  to  headquarters  or  the  Tenderloin  station 
before  our  men  got  there — well,  in  that  case 

But  I  don't  believe  it.  There 'd  have 

been  signs  of  activity  there  before  now." 

' '  Why  ? ' '  demanded  Ashby .   ' '  He  couldn  't 


58  LOOT 

be  wise  to  the  whole  business.  If  he  sus- 
pects anything — and  I  don't  see  why  he  does 
• — it  must  be  something  so  vague  that  it 
doesn't  amount  to  much,  and  the  police 
would  hardly  call  out  the  reserves." 

"If  he  suspects  anything  at  all  he  sus- 
pects enough  to  make  it  extremely  unpleas- 
ant for  us,"  said  Atchison.  "If  he  went  to 
the  police  at  all  he  went  there  with  a  regu- 
lar story,  one  that  would  start  something. 
And  as  nothing  has  been  started — why,  I 
don't  believe  he  went  to  them." 

"But  you  do  believe  he  suspects  some- 
thing?" demanded  Ashby,  white-faced. 

"Unless  some  accident  happened  to  him, 
and  there's  been  no  ambulance  call  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Vandergelt,  he  must 
suspect  something!  How  else  can  you  ac- 
count for  his  running  off?" 

"And  he  stayed  through  the  first  act," 
cried  Brant.  "It  looks  as  though  he  didn't 
get  suspicious  until  then." 

"First  gleam  of  real  brains  you've  shown 
in  some  time,"  said  the  gray  man.  "Exactly 


LOOT  59 

what  I  figured.  And  lie  went  off  to  verify 
it.  Couldn  't  be  anything  else. ' ' 

Again  the  waiter  approached  with  the 
word  that  Atchison  was  wanted  at  the  tele- 
phone, and  the  gray  man  left  the  table. 
Again  Brant  asked  the  stout  man  to  ask 
Atchison  to  drop  it.  The  gray  man  returned 
again,  this  time  puzzled. 

"Did  Hildreth  act  like  a  fool  to  you?"  he 
asked  Ashby. 

The  stout  man  shook  his  head. 

"Drunk?" 

"Not  a  sign  of  it." 

"No ;  they  wouldn't  send  a  fool  or  a  drunk- 
ard to  collect  two  million  dollars'  worth  of 
diamonds,"  said  the  gray  man  as  though 
arguing  to  himself.  ' '  But  Williams  just  told 
me  that  they'd  found  the  chauffeur  who 
drove  Hildreth  from  the  clothing  store.  And 
he  went  to  Chinatown !  Sight-seeing !" 

1 1  What  ? ' '  ejaculated  Brant.  Ashby 's  eye- 
brows lifted. 

"Exactly;  was  driven  to  Port  Arthur. 
Williams  phoned  Adamson  and  he  sent  a 


6Q  LOOT 

man  over  to  the  chop-suey  place.  Man  an- 
swering Hildreth's  description  sat  there  for 
half  an  hour  alone,  eating.  Left  without 
speaking  to  any  one  but  his  waiter.  Seemed 
to  be  enjoying  himself.  Only  a  drunkard  or 

a  fool — and  he  can't  be  either But  if  he 

suspected  something  he'd  not Yet  why 

did  he  leave  the  theater  when  he  expected 

Arabia  « -"  His  voice  died  away  into 

amazed  silence. 

It  seemed  an  appropriate  moment  for 
Ashby  to  rehearse  the  little  speech  he'd  been 
planning  during  Atchison's  two  trips  to  the 
telephone.  He  cleared  his  throat  nervously. 

"Why  don't  you -forget  about  him  any- 
way?" he  asked.  "What  you  just  told  us 
makes  it  look  as  though  he  doesn't  suspect 
anything.  A  man  wise  to  what  you've  got 
up  your  sleeve  wouldn't  waste  time  in  a 
chop-suey  joint,  would  he  ?" 

"You  forget  that  he  left  his  overcoat  in 
the  theater  and  bought  a  new  one,"  said 
Atchison  softly;  "that  he  didn't  wait  when 
he  thought  Arabin  was  coming." 


LOOT  61 

".Well,  he  didn't  suspect  enough  to  tackle 
the  police  with  his  tale,"  persisted  Ashby. 
"And  if  he  does  suspect  something  and  noth- 
ing happens  to  him — he'll  think  he  was 
'dreaming,  won 't  he  ? ' ' 

"What  are  you  aiming  at?"  demanded 
the  gray  man. 

"LWhy,  just  this:  Let  him  go!  There 's 
risk  and  trouble  monkeying  with  him.  Let 
him  alone.  What's  a  two-million-dollar 
necklace  when  there's  ten  other  millions 
waiting  for  us?" 

"What's  a •"  Atchison  stared  at  tHe 

stout  man,  fury  in  his  eyes;  but  when  he 
spoke  it  was  in  modulated  tones :  "My  dear 
!A.shby,  how  long  have  you  been  associated 
svithme?" 

"Ten  years, "  replied  Ashby  sullenly. 

"And  have  you  ever,  in  all  that  time, 
known  me  to  fail  in  anything  I  attempted  ? 
Have  you  ever  known  me  to  relinquish  any- 
thing on  which  I  had  set  my  heart?  It  is 
needless  to  answer.  You  know  you  haven't ! 
I've  set  my  heart  on  the  Carlow  necklace.  Is 


62  LOOT 

that  reason  enough  for  not  forgetting  this 
manHildreth?" 

"If  you  say  so  I  suppose  it  is,"  replied  the 
stout  man,  cowed;  "but,  just  the  same,  it 
looks  to  me  as  though  you're  jeopardizing 
the  biggest  thing  you  ever  tackled.  It's  ten 
million  sure  if  you  drop  this  Hildreth  man 
and  only  two  million  more  if  you  do  get  the 
necklace,  with  about  a  million  times  as  much 
risk  if  he  happens  to  suspect  anything 
already;  and  he's  acting  queer  for  a  man 
who  doesn't." 

"The  beauty  of  having  a  brain  like  yours, 
£shby,"  said  the  gray  man,  "is  that  you  are 
never  disturbed  by  possibilities.  Being  a 
dunderhead,  it  never  occurs  to  you  to  reason 
matters  out.  You  are  fairly  good  at  carry- 
ing out  orders,  but  please  refrain  from  offer- 
ing advice.  Why,  you  numskull,  can't  you 
think?  Williams  is  private  secretary  to 
Arabin !  He  learns  that  the  Carlow  necklace 
has  been  unexpectedly  completed  and  that 
j^rabin  has  cabled  Carlow  to  that  effect.  He 
holds  up  Carlow's  answering  cable  till  I've 


LOOT  63 

had  a  chance  to  look  at  it.  I  decide  that  we  '11 
still  include  the  necklace  in  our  other  little 
transactions.  But  that  transaction's  date 
was  determined  on  two  months  ago,  before 
we  knew  that  the  necklace  would  be  finished 
ahead  of  time. 

"We  can  not  change  the  date  now,  but — • 
we  can  arrange  that  the  early  finishing  of  the 
necklace  will  not  cost  us  its  possession.  Will- 
iams holds  up  Carlow's  cable.  We  plan  to 
detain  this  man  Hildreth.  We  send  him  a 
wireless  message  signed  by  James  F.  Arabin. 
We  plan  to  get  hold  of  him  at  the  dock.  Lest 
that  fail,  we  have  a  room  engaged  for  him  at 
the  Battenberg,  ostensibly  by  an  employee  of 
Arabin 's  store.  Our  plans  fail  there  again. 
We  get  him  to  the  theater.  Williams  plans 
to  impersonate  Arabin.  Hildreth  has  never 
seen  Arabin.  Williams  could  talk  intimately 
of  the  necklace,  of  the  Arabin  store,  as  no 
one  else  could,  being  Arabin 's  secretary.  But 
that  fails. 

"Now  then — and  try  to  think:  Suppose 
Hildreth  is  unmolested.  Suppose  he  sees 


64:  LOOT 

Arabin  to-morrow.  Wliat  will  Arabin  say  on 
learning  that  Carlo w  cabled  of  Hildreth's 
coming  arrival  a  week  ago  ?  What  will  he 
say;  to  Hildreth's  story  of  the  wireless,  the 
room  engaged,  the  theater  party?  Arabin, 
who  knows  nothing  of  Hildreth's  coming,  but 
imagines  that  Carlow  himself  will  come  in 
his  own  good  time  for  the  necklace — what 
will  Arabin  say?  Will  he  suspect  the  good 
faith  of  Williams,  his  secretary?  And  isn't 
it  vital  to  our  plans  that  he  does  not  suspect 
Williams  ?  Are  you  answer e  d  ?  " 

The  stout  man  was.  He  made  no  further 
effort  to  persuade  the  gray  man. 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do  now?"  lie 
asked  humbly. 

' l  Stay  here  a  while — both  of  you.  This  will 
be  my  headquarters  for  an  hour  or  so."  He 
reached  for  his  as  yet  untouched  glass  of 
wine ;  then  set  it  down  hastily  and  rose,  bow- 
ing to  a  girl  who  approached  their  table. 

It  was  Morn  Light,  in  modest  decollete,  a 
silk  scarf  across  her  white  shoulders.  She 


LOOT  65 

nodded  coldly  to  Ashby,  and  to  Brant,  whose 
weak  face  lighted  up  with  adoration  at  her 
approach,  and  addressed  the  gray;  man. 

"  Lovely  place  for  a  party  1"  she  said, 
sinking  into  the  chair  Atchison  drew  up  for 
her.  "What  made  you  pick  such  a  common 
place,  anyway?  And  where  is  your  party? 
Surely  I  haven't  been  summoned  just  to  en- 
tertain you?" 

Hers  was  the  petulance  of  spoiled  beauty, 
and  Atchison  smiled  grimly. 

"And  if  you  had?  [You'd  have  come  just 
the  same,  Morn.  -But  our  party  is  off — for 
the  present." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  it  nice  of  you  to  send 
for  me  on  a  moment's  notice,  as  though  it 
were  a  matter  of  life  and  death.  I  worls 
hard;  I  need  all  the  rest  •• " 

"That  will  be  enough,  Morn!"  snapped 
Atchison.  ' '  At  times  your  sulkiness  amuses « 

but  to-night •  Life  and  death  ?  It  was  a 

matter  of — the  latter.  And  if  at  any  time  in 
the  next  two  weeks  I  send  for  you,  no  matter 


66  LOOT 

where  you  are  or  what  you  may  be  doing — 
Jklorn,  you  will  come !" 

His  eyes  glowed  in  their  deep  sockets. 
The  girl  shuddered  and  tried  to  hide  her  un- 
easiness by  further  petulance. 

"You  needn't  be  so  bogymannish  about  it. 
<0f  course  I'll  come.  But  you  were  joking 
just  now  ?  About— death  ? ' > 

"Have  I  ever  joked,  Morn,  about  serious 
matters?"  demanded  Atchison  blandly. 
"Oh,  don't  be  frightened!  You  will  never 
figure  in  these  matters.  To-night  you  were 
merely  to  let  a  gentleman  escort  you  home. 
He  would  have  gone  to  sleep  in  your  car. 
You  would  later  have  remembered  setting 
him  'down  up-town  somewhere.  That  is  all. ' ' 

She  tossed  her  head,  but  her  color  ebbed 
beneath  his  level  glance. 

"May  I  go  home  ?"  she  asked  meekly. 

' '  Certainly, ' '  he  said  politely.  ' '  But  don 't 
go  to  bed  for  a  while  yet,  Morn." 

"Why  not?"  she  asked  quickly. 

"I  may  want  to  see  you  shortly — at  any 


LOOT  67 

i> 

moment.  It  depends  on  a  certain  word  I'm 
expecting.  .You  may  be  needed  after  all, 
[Morn.  Go  home — and  wait  there. ' ' 

''How  soon  shall  you  know — whether  or 
not  you  need  me  ?  Why  can 't  I  wait  here  ? ' ' 

"I  thought  you  wanted  to  get  your  shoe 
Off." 

"I  do;  but  it  will  be  twice  as  painful  get- 
ting it  on  again.  I'd  rather  wait."  He  shook 
his  head. 

".Go  home  and  wait,"  he  said  courteously 
.enough,  but  with  a  flat  finality  that  brooked 
no  further  argument. 

The  girl  left  the  restaurant. 

"You  didn't  mention  her  being  hurt, 
Ashby,"  said  Atchison. 

"Slipped  my  memory,  with  all  the  other 
things,"  was  the  stout  man's  answer.  "She 
doesn't  walk  lame,"  he  added,  looking  ovei 
his  shoulder  at  the  retreating  Morn. 

"She  said  it  wasn't  much  of  an  injury. 
At  least,  that  she  was  out  only  part  of  the; 
first  act,"  said  Atchison;  but  his  voice  was 


68  LOOT 

dreamy,  far-away,  as  though  he  had  already 
forgotten  Morn  Light.  The  others  forbore 
to  disturb  him  as  a  look  of  concentration 
appeared  in  his  eyes.  [When  the  Gray  Ghost 
leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  schemed,  his 
satellites  were  wont  to  sit  in  silence. 


CHAPTER  V 

HILDKETH  [TELEPHONES ;   AND  IS   TELEPHONED 

HILDEETH  stood  only  a  moment  on  the 
curb.  His  .white  shirt  and  waistcoat  limned 
his  figure  clearly  in  the  dusk,  he  knew ;  and, 
hater  of  conspicuousness  that  he  was  natur- 
ally, to  be  conspicuous  at  the  present  moment 
was,  he  felt,  to  be  a  magnet  for  peril. 

Thus  deeply  was  he  impressed  with  the 
manner  and  written  words  of  Morn  Light. 
Fantastic  as  her  commands  were,  he  had 
promised  to  obey  them,  and  never  for  a  mo- 
ment did  he  consider  breaking  his  promise. 
Even  more  than  by  the  feeling  of  peril  was 
he  guided  by  the  promise  she  had  extracted 
from  him. 

He  knew  that  it  would  attract  attention 
for  him  to  walk  along  the  streets  without  a 
coat.  If  enemies— who  or  what  he  could  not 

69 


.70  LOOT 

even  dimly  imagine,  though  by  now  he  wag 
certain  that  his  danger  had  to  do  with  one  on 
jboth  of  his  commissions — lurked  inside  the 
theater  it  was  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
they  would  remain  there  long  if  he  was  ab- 
sent. He  beckoned  to  a  stage-door  lounger; 
who  gossiped  with  the  door-tender.  He 
slipped  a  coin  into  the  man's  hand. 

" Fetch  me  a  taxi,"  he  said. 

[A.  moment  later  he  was  inside  the  machine 
and  was  being  driven  to  a  clothier  recom- 
mended by  the  chauffeur.  At  the  door  of  the 
establishment  he  paid  off.  his  driver,  entered 
the  store,  purchased  quickly  a  black  rain- 
coat and  emerged,  to  stand  again  doubtfully 
on  a  curb. 

For  a  moment  the  idea  that  he  was  the  vic- 
tim of  some  sort  of  elaborate  practical  joke 
possessed  him.  He  weighed  the  evidence. 
If  Morn  had  been  joking,  the  look  in  her 
eyes  as  she  broke  down  in  the  middle  of  her 
Bong  might  have  been  a  counterfeit  emotion. 
[But  his  close  proximity  to  her  in  her  dress- 
ing-room !  She  could  not  have  counterfeited 


LOOT  71 

fear  there.  There  had  been  drops  of  per- 
spiration on  her  face,  drops  that  came  from 
no  physical  exertion  and  that  Hildreth  did 
not  believe  came  from  the  pain  of  her  ankle. 
.Terror  had  brought  them  there — real  terror, 
no  counterfeit.  He  dismissed  the  practical- 
joke  thought  as  swiftlv.  as  it  had  come,  to 
him. 

[But  it  was  only  a  little  after  nine  o 'clock- 
now.  If  the  jeweler  had  not  already  started 
for  the  Yandergelt  Theater  it  was  Hildreth 'a 
polite  duty  to  inform  Arabin  that  circum- 
stances had  arisen  making  it  impossible  for 
him  to  remain  in  the  theater.  That  was  only 
common  decency.  He  entered  a  drug  store 
and  shut  himself  in  the  booth.  In  a  moment 
a  yoice  answered  him: 

"Mr.  Arabin 's  residence." 

"I'd  like  to  speak  with  Mr.  Arabin — Mr. 
3"ames  F.  Arabin,"  said  Hildreth. 

"Mr.  Arabin 's  out  of  town,"  was  the  an- 
swer. 

"Out  of  town?"  asked  Hildreth  in  sur- 
prise. "When  did  he  leave?" 


72  LOOT 

"He's  been  in  Boston  the  last  two  days," 
replied  the  voice.  "He  is  not  expected  back 
until  to-morrow  morning." 

Hildreth  was  stunned. 

"You  mean  to  tell  me  that  Mr.  Arabin  has 
not  been  in  New  York  to-day?" 

"I  said  he  was  in  Boston,"  came  the  chill- 
ing reply.  "He  leaves  on  the  midnight 
train  and  will  be  in  town  to-morrow. 
0ood-by!" 

"Here ;  wait  a  bit !"  cried  Hildreth.  "Tell 
me — this  is  the  residence  of  Mr.  Arabin,  the 
jeweler,  isn't  it?" 

"It  is." 

"Well,  has  he  any  relative  in  the  business  ? 
A  cousin — a  son  by  the  same  name?" 

"Are  you  spoofing  me?"  demanded  the 
voice  angrily. 

Hildreth  had  imagination.  At  another 
time  he  would  have  smiled  at  the  mental  pic- 
ture the  voice,  with  its  London  slang  and 
accent,  conjured  up  before  him.  But  he 
was  in  too  deadly  earnest  now  even  to  think 
of  smiling  at  the  solemn,  aggrieved  English 


LOOT  73 

butler,  whose  like,  if  voices  told  anything  at 
all,  Hildreth  had  seen  many  times  at  home. 

1 '  I  'm  not  chaffing, ' '  he  answered.  ' '  I  want 
to  know." 

" There  is  but  one  James  F.  [Arabia,"  re- 
plied the  servant,  as  one  who  should  say  that 
there  was  but  one  President  of  the  United 
States,  one  King  of  Britain,  one  Church  of 
England.  And  he  rang  off. 

It  was  a  temptation  to  Hildreth  to  ring 
the  number  again,  declare  his  identity,  his 
mission  and  find  out  whether  the  servant 
could  answer  the  puzzling  questions  that  he 
could  not. 

But  a  servant  was  not  to  be  lightly  con- 
fided in,  especially  over  the  telephone.  More- 
over, if  James  F.  Arabin  were  in  Boston,  if 
he  had  deliberately  been  absent  from  New 
York  at  the  time  of  Hildreth 's  arrival,  there 
was  but  one  explanation  of  such  action: 
Arabin  did  not  know  that  Hildreth  was  com- 
ing. In  that  case  it  would  hardly  avail  any- 
thing to  question  the  servant.  Hildreth 
walked  dazed  from  the  drug  store. 


74  LOOT 

Some  one,  of  course,  had  engaged  quarters 
at  the  Battenberg  for  Hildreth,  and  that 
some  one  had  posed  as  Arabin — or,  at  any 
rate,  as  his  representative.  Some  one  had 
wirelessed  Hildreth  on  board  the  Lucantia 
and  signed  Arabin's  name  to  the  message. 
Borne  one  had  telephoned  Hildreth  and  made 
an  appointment  at  the  theater;  but  that 
some  one  could  not  have  been  Arabin,  for 
Arabin  was  in  Boston  and  would  not  return 
until  to-morrow.  The  servant  spoke  with 
certainty;  there  was  no  reason  to  doubt  the. 
correctness  of  his  knowledge  as  to  his 
master's  movements. 

Bo  then,  whoever  had  sent  that  wireless, 
whoever  had  caused  that  room  to  be  en- 
gaged, whoever  had  pretended  to  be  Arabin 
over  the  telephone,  was  an  impostor.  Had 
there  not  been  the  telephonic  message,  had 
not  the  speaker  said  that  he  was  Arabin, 
Hildreth  could  have  understood  it  all.  He 
would  have  assumed  that  some  trusted  em- 
ployee of  Arabin  had  taken  the  liberty — 
been  instructed  to  do  so,  in  fact — of  signing 


LOOT  [73 

Arabin 's  name  to  the  wireless,  of  engaging 
the  room.  If  the  voice  over  the  telephone 
had  not  stated  that  it  was  the  voice  of  Ar- 
abin,  but  had  said  that  it  was  an  employee 
of  the  jeweler — but  it  had  not ! 

There  was  but  one  conclusion — the  sender 
of  the  wireless,  the  engager  of  the  room,  the 
donor  of  the  theater  ticket,  was  an  impostor. 
And  this,  of  course,  led  to  another  conelu- 
sion:  Inasmuch  as  only  an  impostor  had 
done  these  things,  and  inasmuch  further  as 
there  had  been  no  genuine  effort  on  the  part 
of  Arabin  to  meet  him,  and  as  Arabin  was  in 
Boston — his  arrival  was  not  expected  by  the 
jeweler. 

Up  to  now  the  cryptic  warnings  and  mes- 
sage of  Morn  Light  had  seemed  anachronis- 
tic, smacking  of  the  days  before  New  York's 
"finest"  and  police  forces  everywhere  were 
the  powerful  machines  they  are  now,  of 
whimsical  intrigue,  and  of  grotesque  plot 
and  counterplot,  staged  in  greenrooms  by 
beautiful  theatrical  adventuresses.  But 
there  was  no  stage  play  about  this  affair.  It 


76  LOOT 

was  in  deadly  sober  earnest,  Hildreth  could 
not  doubt. 

[Morn  Light  did  not  exaggerate  Hildreth 's 
danger.  How  she,  a  lovely  girl,  knew  of 
the  plot  Hildreth  could  not  imagine.  But 
that  her  connection  with  it  was  innocent, 
that  her  knowledge  of  it  was  innocent,  he 
would  have  been  willing  to  swear.  Further, 
by  warning  him  of  danger  she  was  giving 
proof  of  her  innocence. 

Unless,  of  course,  her  appointment  with 
him  at  Bishop's  restaurant  was  in  the  nature 
of  a  trap !  But  this,  Hildreth  would  not  be- 
lieve. And  when  common  sense  told  him 
that  he  ought  not  to  keep  the  appointment 
he  answered  it  with  the  argument  that  his 
conversation  with  Arabin's  butler  had 
shown  him  conclusively  that  there  was  a  plot 
of  some  sort,  that  he  would  not  have  sus- 
pected such  a  plot  were  it  not  for  Morn 
Light,  and  that  to  doubt  one  who  had  already 
been  proved  honest,  in  a  measure,  was 
foolish. 

Having  imagination,  It  occurred  to  him 


LOOT  .77 

that  there  might  have  been  two  rival  plots, 
and  that  Morn  was  but  serving  one  of  them. 
But  that  was  a  little  too  far-fetched.  He 
'dismissed  it.  And  that  his  railroad  mission 
might  be  the  basis  of  whatever  plan  was 
being  launched  against  him  did  not  seem  rea- 
sonable. No  one — not  even  Arabin — had 
been  informed  of  his  connection  with  the 
railroad  matter. 

Anyway,  all  the  evidence,  the  use  of  Ara- 
bia's name,  precluded  any  possibility  other 
than  that  the  necklace  was  the  objective 
of  the  plot.  Mechanically  he  patted  the 
pocket  in  which  reposed  the  design  of  the 
beautiful  necklace,  the  check  for  Arabin, 
his  own  letter  of  credit,  and  the  ironclad 
power  of  attorney,  which  empowered  him 
to  vote  the  Carlow  railroad  stock.  He  was 
glad  he  had  them  all  with  him,  even  though 
they  did  spoil  the  symmetrical  hang  of  hia 
evening  jacket,  folded  in  a  wallet  though 
they  were.  Also,  he  was  glad  he  had  changed 
a  quantity  of  English  gold  into  American 
bills  aboard  the  Lucantia  and  that  they  were 


78  LOOT, 

on  his  person ;  for  lie  could  not  go  back  to  the 
Battenberg  to-night,  and  cash  might  prove 
useful. 

A  taxicab  came  down  the  cross-town  street. 
Hildreth  hailed  it.  The  young  Englishman, 
aside  from  the  matter  of  elevators,  had  no 
nerves.  Danger  assailed  himj  very  well,  he 
could  not  ascertain  the  source  of  the  danger 
until  midnight.  Two  hours  and  more  must 
be  passed  before  he  should  receive  an  ex- 
planation. Why  not  employ  those  hours  in 
seeing  what  he  could  of  the  city?  He  had 
heard  and  read  much  of  New  York's  China- 
town. If  it  were  remote  enough  from  the 
yandergelt  he  would  go,  there. 

To  his  question  the  chauffeur  answered 
that  Chinatown  was  some  miles  distant.  Hil- 
'dreth  immediately  ordered  the  man  to  take 
him  there.  And  shortly  afterward  Hildretft 
entered  the  Port  Arthur  restaurant  and  or- 
'dered  some  Chinese  food,  finding  that  excite- 
ment had  made  him  hungry.  He  ate  with 
perfect  calm.  Trouble  was  In  the  pot,  but, 
lUntil  it  was  brewed,  why  worry,  needlessly?, 


LOOT  i79 

eating  he  wandered  round  China- 
town for  a  while,  but  was  quickly  disillu- 
sioned of  the  idea  that  here  lay  any  great 
romance.  It  was  sordid,  distasteful,  hide- 
ous with  suggested  vice.  He  left  it  and  ex- 
plored the  Bowery,  of  which  he  had  heard! 
so  much.  Thinking  that  his  silk  hat  ren- 
dered him  a  bit  too  shining  a  mark  in  the! 
neighborhood,  he  entered  a  hatter's  store 
and  bought  a  soft  cloth  hat,  leaving  his  high 
hat  to  be  called  for  later. 

He  wandered  through  the  East  Side,  his 
coat  buttoned  over  his  white  shirt,  and  found 
It  much  less  pitiful  than  London's  ^VVTiite- 
ehapel,  though  here,  indeed,  was  poverty 
enough.  He  came  out  beneath  Brooklyn 
[Bridge,  made  his  way  to  Park  Row  and  rode 
In  a  trolley  across  to  Brooklyn,  finding  New: 
[York  more  wonderful  at  night  than  it  had 
been  by  day  from  the  Lucantia's  deck.  He 
recrossed  the  bridge  and  found  that  it  was 
half  past  eleven.  A  policeman  directed  him 
to  the  subway  and  told  him  what  stop  was 
nearest  Bishop's  restaurant.  Somewhat  be- 


80  LOOT 

fore  the  appointed  hour  he  passed  through 
the  portals  of  that  gay  restaurant,  gently; 
but  firmly  refusing  to  surrender  his  hat  and 
coat  to  the  rather  insistent  check  boy. 

To  the  head  waiter,  who  accosted  him,  he 
proffered  a  request  to  be  shown  to  Jacques. 

"I  am  Jacques,"  said  the  waiter.  "Mon- 
sieur wishes?" 

"Hiss  Light  told  me  to  ask  for  you.  She 
said  you  would  understand." 

"Ah,  yes,"  said  the  Frenchman.  "And 
monsieur's  name  is?" 

Hildreth 's  own  name  was  on  the  tip  of  his 
tongue  before  he  caught  himself.  Morn 
Light  had  told  him  that  he  was  Ted  Daly. 
[Undoubtedly  she  wished  him  to  masquerade 
as  Ted  Daly  here  as  well  as  in  her  dressing- 
room. 

"Daly,"  he  said. 

"Yery  good,  monsieur,"  said  Jacques. 
"If  monsieur  will  follow  me — " 

He  led  the  way  to  an  ornate  stairway  and 
motioned  Hildreth  to  precede  him.  In  the 
hall  above  he  moved  up  beside  Hildreth. 


LOOT  81 

"Monsieur  will  notice,"  he  said  blandly, 
"that  there  is  another  flight  of  stairs  at  the 
other  end  of  this  hall.  It  leads  to  a  side 
street.  Also" — and  he  opened  a  door  and 
motioned  Hildreth  inside — "  monsieur,  if  he 
looks,  will  notice  that  behind  the  curtain" — 
he  pointed — "  there  is  a  door.  It  can  be 
bolted  on  either  side.  At  present  it  is  not 
fastened  at  all.  It  is  well  to  notice  these 
things,  monsieur.  That  door  opens  almost 
directly  on  a  third  flight  of  stairs,  leading  to 
another  side  street.  Monsieur  will  order 
now  or  await  Miss  Light's  arrival ?  That  is 
better,  yes  ?  Meantime  would  monsieur  care 
for  something  to  drink?" 

Hildreth  sat  down  at  a  table. 

"Jacques,  what  does  all  this  mean?" 

The  Frenchman  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

* '  There  is  nothing  I  can  tell  monsieur.  It 
remains  with  Miss  Light.  Undoubtedly 
mademoiselle  did  not  invite  monsieur  to 
meet  her  here  for  the  amusement  of  either 
monsieur  or  herself.  Undoubtedly  there 
will  be  explanations  by  her." 


82  LOOT 

1 1  Yes, ' '  persisted  Hildreth ;  * '  but  you  must 
know  something.  You  aren't  showing  me 
several  ways  of  escape  for  nothing,  you 
know.  "What  is  the  game  ?" 

Jacques  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"That  is  for  mademoiselle  to  tell." 

"Oh,  is  it?"  demanded  Hildreth  with 
choler.  "And  suppose  it  isn't  Miss  Light 
who  will  find  me  here  ?  Suppose  it  is  some 

one  else  who I  think  I'm  rather  an  ass 

to  walk  in  here  blindfolded.  I  think  I'll  not 
remain. " 

"That,"  said  Jacques,  "is  just  as  mon- 
sieur prefers.  I,  Jacques,  know  nothing — 
nothing,  that  is,  which  I  am  at  liberty  to 
pass  on  to  monsieur.  But  I  earnestly  beg 
monsieur  to  remain.  Mademoiselle  wishes 
it.  Monsieur  would  be  foolish  not  to  re- 
main. However — " 

He  made  a  gesture  implying  that  Hil- 
dreth was  free  to  depart.  The  Englishman 
laughed  shortly. 

"I'll  stay,"  he  announced,  chagrined  at 


LOOT  83 

his  inability  to  win  any  information  from  the 
head  waiter. 

' '  And  will  drink  a  cocktail  ? ' ' 

"Very  well,"  said  Hildreth. 

Jacques  bowed  and  left  the  room,  closing 
the  door  silently  after  him.  Merely  as  a 
precaution  born  of  the  circumstances,  Hil- 
jdreth  rose  and  tried  the  door  Jacques  had 
Closed.  It  yielded  readily  and  he  moved 
away  satisfied.  He  pushed  back  the  cur- 
tain the  Frenchman  had  indicated  and 
opened  the  door  concealed  behind  it.  He 
looked  through  and  assured  himself  as  to 
the  location  of  the  stairs  Jacques  had  men- 
tioned. Then  he  replaced  the  curtain  in  its 
Original  folds  and  sat  down  at  the  table, 
first  removing  his  hat  and  coat.  On  second 
thought  he  put  his  coat  on  again.  Jacques' 
words  had  plainly  signified  that  there  might 
be  need  for  flight.  It  was  as  well  to  be  ready 
to  attempt  it. 

He  started  nervously  as  a  knock  sounded 
Dn  the  door,  but  it  was  only  a  waiter  bring- 


84  LOOT 

ing  the  cocktail  he  had  ordered  of  Jacques. 
The  man  put  it  on  the  table.  He  unfolded 
a  newspaper  and  handed  it  to  Hildreth. 

"The  gentleman  might  care  to  read,"  he 
suggested,  and  bowed  himself  out  of  the 
room.  * 

Hildreth  picked  up  the  paper  idly.  He 
noted  amusedly  that  it  was  dated  Tuesday, 
though  Monday  had  not  been  more  than  four 
or  five  minutes  dead.  But  a  glance  told  him 
that  it  was  a  theatrical  paper,  of  which  he 
had  heard  his  actress  cousin  speak  as  denot- 
ing the  importance  of  the  stage  in  New  York, 
where  it  commanded  its  own  newspaper.  He 
knew  it  was  issued  almost  in  time  to  meet 
the  audience  filing  out  of  the  theater,  ready 
with  a  review  of  the  performance  they  had 
just  witnessed. 

Then  swiftly  his  idle  glance  became  fixed. 
[Alongside  a  picture  of  a  comedian  who  had 
been  arrested  for  speeding  his  automobile 
was  a  photograph  of  a  bearded  man,  and  be- 
neath the  photograph  the  man's  name. 
Above  it  was  a  head-line  telling  of  the  sud" 


LOOT  85 

den  death  of  John  Madison  Clinton,  presi- 
dent of  the  railroad,  to  take  part  in  whose 
annual  election  Hildreth  had  been  primarily; 
sent  to  America.  He  read  the  article  inter- 
estedly. Half-way  down  the  column  he  came 
on  a  statement  issued  by  the  board  of  direc- 
tors to  the  effect  that,  out  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  the  late  president,  the  annual 
stockholders'  meeting  would  be  postponed 
for  two  weeks. 

Hildreth 's  first  thought  was  of  delight. 
Then  he  should  not  have  to  cut  short  his  trip 
to  America ;  his  stay  in  New  York  would  be 
prolonged  at  least  two  weeks  and  he  would 
have  a  chance,  entirely  aside  from  this  mys- 
tery, to  see  Morn  Light,  to  know  her.  .  .  . 
He  was  sorry  that  any  one  should  die,  but  if 
President  Clinton  must  die  he  could  not  have 
chosen  a  more  opportune  time  for  Hildreth, 
or  his  directors  a  more  satisfying  way  of 
evidencing  their  regard  for  their  dead  chief. 

"Whatever  this  mystery  might  be  it  would 
undoubtedly  be  settled  in  a  day  or  so.  It 
could  hardly  endure  longer.  And,  with  the 


86  LOOT 

introduction  to  Morn  Light  it  had  given  him, 
he  would  make  use  of  these  extra  two  weeks. 
.  .  .  The  telephone,  set  on  the  wall,  jan- 
gled and  disturbed  his  pleasant  musings.  He 
rose  wonderingly,  suspiciously  even,  and  an- 
swered it. 

"Mr.  Daly?  Ted?  This  is  Morn.  I  can't 
come  down:  it's  impossible  now.  But  wait. 
You  must  wait !  And  don't  go  to  your  hotel 
under  any  consideration.  Stay  where  you 
are !  Do  you  understand  ? ' ' 

"I  understand  what  you're  saying,"  he 
replied,  "but  not  its  meaning.  And  isn't  it 
about  time  you  explained  what — " 

"I  can't!  I  can't!"  she  said,  her  voice  so 
filled  with  repressed  excitement  that  he  could 
imagine  her  flushed  face  and  heaving  bosom. 
"If  I  could  now — but  I  can't.  Believe  me, 
won 't  you  ?  Trust  me — please !  And  wait ! ' ' 

"Hadn't  I  better  go  to  the  police?"  he  de- 
manded. 

"Police?  You'd  not  pass  the  threshold 
of  the  nearest  station.  I  tell  you,  it's  so! 


LOOT  87 

Wait  for  me;  sometime  to-night — before 
morning — " 

"But,  I  say,"  he  protested,  "I'm  begin- 
ning to  have  an  inkling.  I'm  beginning  to 
see—" 

"You  can't,"  she  said.  "You  haven't  the 
slightest  idea  of  how  big —  Will  you  wait  ? 
I  tell  you  your  very  life — will  you  wait  ?" 

"Of  course,"  he  said;  "but—" 

Strangely  changed,  her  voice  came  over 
the  wire  to  him : 

"Don't  be  absurd,  Ted!  You  must  know 
what  a  ridiculous  hour  this  is  to  ask  me  to 
come  to  supper.  Even  an  actress  needs  sleep 
once  in  a  while,  you  know.  And  my  ankle — 
you  knew  it  was  bothering  me.  You  aren't 
very  thoughtful,  to  say  the  kindest !  Good- 
by." 

He  heard  the  click  of  the  receiver;  she 
had  rung  off. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  GRAY  GHOST  CALLS  ON  MORN  ;  MR.  DALY,  OP 
CINCINNATI 

THERE  was  a  pout  of  amused  disgust  on 
Morn's  lips  as  she  drew  aside  the  portieres 
and  entered  the  drawing-room  of  her  apart- 
ment. It  vanished  when  she  saw  Atkinson 
sitting  on  a  divan. 

"Oh,  you,"  she  said.  "I  knew  it  couldn't 
be  Celia  that  I  heard.  But  I  didn't  hear  you 
ring?"  she  added  questioningly. 

"I  didn't  bother  to  be  announced,"  he  re- 
plied. "It  is  late.  The  hall  boy  was  busy  at 
the  phone  and  evidently  thought  me  a  resi- 
dent here ;  the  elevator  was  down  in  the  base- 
ment. I  presume  the  operator  was  sneaking 
a  smoke.  So"  I  walked  up.  I  would  have 
rung  the  bell  at  your  front  door,  but  the  door 
was  ajar,  so — I  walked  in." 


LOOT  89 

"Ajar?  I  thought  I'd  locked  it." 

"The  evidence  goes  to  prove  that  you  did 
not,"  he  rejoined  lightly.  "You  were  tele- 
phoning ?  I  interrupted  you  ? ' ' 

"Not  at  all,"  she  answered  carelessly.  "I 
should  have  been  glad  of  an  interruption, 
but  none  happened;  so  I  was  rude  instead." 

"Indeed?  I  can  hardly  fancy  you  being 
that.  To  whom,  may  I  ask  ? ' ' 

"Oh,  a  silly  boy  who  gets  his  knowledge  of 
actresses  from  the  comic  papers,  I  imagine. 
Wanted  me  to  go  down-town  and  have  sup- 
per with  him.  He'd  been  drinking,  I  fancy. 
He  knew  that  my  ankle  was  hurt ;  called  at 
my  dressing-room  after  the  first  act  to-night 
to  offer  sympathy  and  ask  me  to  have  supper, 
after  the  performance.  I  refused  and  I  im- 
agine he's  been  brooding" — she  laughed  de- 
liciously — "and  drinking." 

"Impertinent  cub !"  said  Atchison. 

"So  I  gave  him  to  understand,"  said  Morn 
carelessly.  She  sat  down  in  a  chair  across 
the  room  from  Atchison. 

"Who  is  he?" 


90  LOOT 

Her  eyebrows  lifted  slightly. 

"  Ted  Daly.  Cincinnati.  Stocks  and  bonds. 
[Will  that  do?  I  don't  know  his  politics  or 
Ms  religion.  What  did  you  want  to  see  me 
about?"  she  asked  abruptly. 

"Mr.  Ted  Daly,"  he  answered. 

' '  What ! ' '  The  word  was  wrung  from  her 
unawares,  and  the  moment  she  had  uttered 
it  she  turned  her  head  as  though  to  rear- 
range the  cushion  in  the  back  of  her  chair. 
[When  she  turned  back  to  Atchison  there  was 
no  sign  of  alarm  on  her  face. 

".What  do  you  eare  about  Ted  Daly?"  she 
asked  with  seeming  perplexity. 

The  man's  face  was  hard. 

"Don't  play  with  me,  Morn!  Are  you 
keeping  a  love-affair  from  me  ?" 

"A  love-affair!  Have  you  been  drink- 
Ing?"  she  asked  contemptuously. 

' l  Tou  know  better, ' '  he  said  shortly.  ' '  But 
I  happened  to  be  down-stairs  a  few  moments 
ago,  as  you  know.  I  overheard  the  hall  boy 
speaking." 

' ' iWell  ? ' '  She  seemed  unmoved. 


LOOT  91 

Suddenly  Ms  face  was  convulsed. 

"Why  do  you  lie  to  me,  Morn?  I  heard 
the  operator  down-stairs  speak  your  name ! 
I  heard  him  say  that  he  was  getting  a  num- 
ber for  you !  And  now  you  tell  me  that  this 
Daly  called  you  up.  Why  do  you  lie  ?" 

"If  you  must  know,"  she  answered,  "it  is 
hard  enough  for  a  girl  to  apologize  to  a  man 
without  letting  other  people  know  that  she 
has  done  so." 

"You!  Apologized  to  this  man?  Why?" 

"I  was  rude  to  him  when  he  called  at  my 
dressing-room  to-night.  My  ankle  hurt  and 
I  was — impatient.  But  I  was  silly,  for  at 
once  he  again  insisted  that  I  dine  with  him 


now.': 


'And  the  rest — what  you've  just  told 


"Does  that  matter?  It  was  none  of  your 
business!  Since  you  make  it  yours,  since 
you  eavesdrop,  I  tell  you.  Are  you  satis- 
fied?" 

"So  that  it  is  not  a  love-affair,  I  am." 

"And  if  it  were?" 


92  LOOT 

"Then  I  should  make  New  York  most  un- 
comfortable for  Mr.  Ted  Daly." 

She  colored. 

"But  you  promised  that  you  would  never 
again — " 

"Promised!"  He  sneered.  "What  is  a 
promise  when —  That,  Morn,  was  because  I 
loved  you.  Because  I  would  not  ask  you  to 
marry  a  man  who  had  no  security  of  place ; 
who — " 

"And  are  you  not  the  same  man  ?" 

He  smiled. 

"The  same  man,  my  dear  Morn;  but  the 
security  of  place — soon,  oh,  very  soon,  Morn, 
I  shall  be  secure.  This  last  coup — " 

"Yes?   And  what  is  it?" 

"That  can  wait,"  he  answered. 

"And  yet  you  profess  to  love  me.  What 
is  love  without  trust?" 

"You  must  remember,  Morn,  that  you 
have  not  yet  told  me  that  you  love  me." 

"No.    So  I  haven't.    And  I  never  shall!" 

He  smiled  tolerantly. 


LOOT  93 

"When  the  time  comes,  Morn,  you  will  do 
as  I  tell  you." 

"In  other  things,  perhaps,  but  in  that — 
no." 

"We  shall  see,"  he  said. 

She  moved  uneasily. 

".You  have  strange  ways  of  showing  affec- 
tion," she  said.  "You  threaten;  you  rage; 
you  ask  me  to  do  dangerous  things.  This 
evening  I  was  to  have  heen  an  accomplice  in 
a  murder,  was  I  not?" 

"Why  be  brutal?  Call  it  an  elimination." 

"And  suppose  I  had  refused?  Suppose 
I  had  called  for  the  police  ?" 

"In  that  case,  Morn,  you  would  have  suf- 
fered great  regret." 

"And  you  call  it  love  that  inspires  you! 
You  speak  of  love  and  yet  you  do  not  trust 
me!" 

"If  we  were  married,  Morn,  I  would  trust 
you,  though  you  did  not  love  me.  But  as  it 
is-  Enough  of  that!" 

"Yes.     Let  it  be  enough,"  said  Mora 


94  LOOT 

crossly.  "I'm  tired;  I've  worked  hard;  I 
want  to  go  to  bed.  Why  did  you  make  me 
stay  up,  anyway  ? ' ? 

"To  tell  you  what  I've  already  told  you." 

' '  And  you  have  heard  my  answer.  Is  that 
all  you  came  for?" 

"Wait  a  bit!"  he  ordered  sternly.  She 
had  risen,  but  she  sat  down  again.  "Would 
it  create  much  comment  if  you  missed  a  per- 
formance at  the  Yandergelt?" 

"The  house  wouldn't  close,  if  that's  what 
you  mean." 

"Then — don't  let  your  ankle  recover  too 
quickly.  You  may  need  it  as  an  excuse." 

"A  headache  would  do  as  well,"  she  told 
him.  "Why?" 

"There  is  a  man  with  whom  you  may  yet 
go  automobiling,"  he  replied.  "He  eluded 
us  to-night,  but — " 

"The  Englishman  you  spoke  of?  What 
was  his  name?" 

"I  didn't  say,"  he  replied.  "The  English- 
man will  identify  him  well  enough.  Names 


LOOT  95 

are  dangerous  things  at  times.  Don't  forget, 
Morn,  we  are  not  married  yet." 

He  rose  and  picked  up  his  hat.  She  rose, 
too,  and  faced  him.  He  drew  a  step  closer 
to  her.  Apparently  without  design  she  put 
a  table  between  them  and  picked  up  a  paper, 
knife  and  toyed  with  it. 

"And  you'd  use  it,  too,  little  spitfire!"  he 
laughed,  as  though  the  idea  pleased  him. 

She  made  no  answer,  but  merely  looked 
at  him. 

"Yes,  you  would!"  He  chuckled,  but  his 
eyes  grew  hard.  *  '  But  you  would  not  betray 
me,  Morn.  I  can  rely  on  you  as  I  can  on  no 
one  else.  You  hate  me.  "When  you,  hating 
me,  hoping  to  see  me  caught,  cornered,  set 
out  to  obey  my  commands,  I  know  that  your 
very  hate  will  make  you  do  exactly  as  I  com- 
mand. No  enthusiasm  for  me  will  make  you 
think  for  yourself  and  try  to  improve  on  my 
plans.  No  greed  for  self  will  cause  you  to 
read  into  my  orders  an  interpretation  that 
is  not  there.  .  .  .  Yes,  Morn,  hate  will  do 


96  LOOT 

• — for  the  present.  It  means  exact  obedience 
— no  more.  And  exact  obedience,  unthink- 
ing obedience,  is  what  I  need."  He  walked 
to  the  door.  ' '  Pleasant  dreams,  Morn. ' ' 

He  passed  out.  Not  until  she  heard  the 
outer  doors  close  on  him  did  she  move.  Then 
she  dropped  on  the  divan  he  had  vacated,  to 
lie  there,  brow  ruffled,  hands  clenched,  star- 
ing fixedly  at  the  wall. 

Atchison  walked  briskly  down  the  one 
flight  of  stairs  to  the  entrance  hall  of  the 
apartment  house.  Now  that  he  was  out  of 
her  sight,  the  jealousy  that  had  consumed 
him  since  the  moment  of  his  silent  entrance 
into  Morn's  apartment  held  full  sway  in  his 
heart.  He  had  concealed  it  fairly  well  from 
Horn.  At  least,  though  he  had  broken  into 
anger  a  couple  of  times,  though  he  had 
threatened  the  elimination  of  Mr.  Daly,  he 
did  not  believe  that  Morn  took  him  seriously 
just  now. 

Atchison  smiled  grimly.  It  was  very  un- 
fortunate that  Morn  should  be  interested  in 
any  man — unfortunate  for  the  man  if  the 


A  place  ot  security  with  Morn  at  his  side 


LOOT  97 

interest  continued.  Morn  hated  Atchison, 
she  said;  but,  unless  another  man  occupied 
her  heart,  it  would  not  be  impossible  for  At- 
chison to  turn  her  hate  into  love.  That  there 
was  a  certain  promise,  of  which  Morn  had 
reminded  him,  in  the  way  of  such  an  attempt, 
was  not  to  be  considered.  He,  Rennold  At- 
chison, the  Gray;  Ghost,  had  thought  for 
many  years  that  a  woman  could  have  no 
place  in  his  affairs. 

But  now — recently  he  had  begun  to  won- 
der whether  ambition  should  not  well  be  set 
aside  in  favor  of  Morn  Light.  That  his  ca- 
reer must  end  if  he  won  Morn  he  knew,  but 
somehow  his  career  no  longer  seemed  to  mat- 
ter. The  one  great  incident,  coup,  planned 
for  the  near  future,  then — a  place  of  secur- 
ity— with  Morn  at  his  side.  This  had  begun 
to  seem  infinitely  more  desirable  than  the 
mere  continuance  of  his  career.  It  was  more 
desirable ;  it  did  not  merely  seem  to  be.  And 
now  Morn  was  telephoning  a  man  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  night! 

But  it  would  be  a  very  simple  matter  to 


981  LOOT! 

send  a  wire  to  Cincinnati,  to  one  of  those 
who  had  served  the  Gray  Ghost  in  a  certain 
Ohio  matter.  That  person  could  decide  on 
what  sort  of  message  would  assure  Mr.  Ted 
Daly's  immediate  departure  for  the  city  of 
his  residence.  The  telegram  which  would  be 
sent  to  Daly  might  say  that  his  father  was 
dying,  that  his  office  had  burned — anything ; 
it  could  be  well  left  to  the  judgment  of  the 
Gray  Ghost's  Cincinnati  follower,  who 
would  look  up  Mr.  Daly  and  find  out  what 
would  be  most  imperative,  most  compelling. 
Meantime  it  was  necessary  to  find  out 
Daly's  address,  and  to  have  asked  it  from 
Morn  Light  would  have  been  to  rouse  her 
immediate  suspicion.  If  Morn  was  really 
interested  in  the  man — Morn  could  be 
trusted  in  the  great  matters  impending,  but 
where  her  heart  was  concerned,  and  in  a  mat- 
ter where  action  by  her  would  not  partake  of 
treachery  to  those  greater  affairs — well,  she 
might  do  as  her  heart  dictated,  might  warn 
Daly.  And  it  was  better  that  Daly  should 


LOOT  99 

be  got  out  of  the  city  at  once,  without  Morn's 
knowing  the  reason  why. 

The  hall  boy  was  asleep  over  his  desk  as 
Atchison  gained  the  ground  floor.  But  it 
was  not  necessary  to  wake  him  and  ask  what 
number  Morn  had  called.  There  were  his 
record  sheets,  with  all  the  day's  calls.  There 
was  only  one  opposite  Morn's  name,  and  the 
time  was  marked  next  the  number,  so  that 
Atchison  could  make  no  mistake.  He  made 
a  mental  note  of  it  and  passed  out  of  the 
building  without  disturbing  the  sleeping  hall 
boy. 

At  a  drug  store  on  the  nearest  corner  he 
used  the  telephone,  giving  the  number  he  had 
just  observed.  He  made  use  of  a  simple  ruse. 

"Is  this  the  Grand  Central  ticket  office ?" 

"No ;  this  is  Bishop's  restaurant,"  was  the 
reply. 

Atchison  frowned  as  he  hung  up.  This 
made  it  awkward.  Confident  as  he  was  that 
his  followers  would  apprehend  Hildreth 
soon,  until  he  knew  that  the  Englishman  had 


100  LOOT 

been  located  lie  was  not  anxious  to  divert  any 
of  his  men  to  another  trail.  Yet,  if  he  would 
find  Daly  this  night — and  jealousy  urged 
him  to  do  so — he  must  send  a  man  to  Bish- 
op's restaurant  at  once  to  trail  the  young 
man  to  his  hotel.  For,  of  course,  Daly  was 
not  living  at  Bishop's,  which  was  merely  a 
restaurant. 

He  lifted  the  receiver  again  and  called 
Patello's  restaurant. 

"Ask  Mr.  Brant  or  IMr.  Ashby  to  come  to 
the  phone,"  he  said. 

"Ashby  ?"  he  asked  a  moment  later. 

"No;  this  is  Williams,"  came  the  excited 
reply.  "I  just  called  you  up  at  Morn's — 
this  very  minute  almost — and  she  said  you'd 
gone." 

"Well?"  said  Atchison,  as  Williams  hesi- 
tated. 

"Don't  lose  your  temper  with  me  at  what 
I'm  going  to  tell  you,  will  you?"  demanded 
Williams. 

"Have  you  lost  Hildreth?  Has  he  made 
his  way  to  the  police?  To  Arabin?"  cried 


LOOT  101 

Atchison,  in  f ury  that  he  could  not  control. 
" Answer  me!" 

"No — not  that  I  know  of,"  said  Williams ; 
"but — but — Morn  Light  knows  where  he  is  I" 

"What?    You 're  insane!" 

"I  told  you  not  to  get  sore,"  said  Will- 
iams. "It's  the  truth." 

"How  do  you  know?" 

"He  visited  her  dressing-room  to-night. 
It  was  there  he  went  when  he  left  his  coat 
and  stick  behind  him  in  his  seat  at  the  the- 
ater." 

"Williams,"  said  Atchison  menacingly, 
"if  you're  lying — if  you're  even  mistaken— 
'Go  on!"  His  voice  was  hoarse. 

"Why  should  I  lie?  And  I  can't  be  mis- 
taken," said  Williams.  "I  was  in  Merton's 
cafe,  opposite  the  Yandergelt,  directing  my; 
end  of  the  search  from  there.  A  man  in  uni- 
form came  in — the  uniform  of  the  Vander- 
gelt  attaches.  I  bought  him  a  drink;  told 
him  that  a  friend  of  mine  had  unaccount- 
ably disappeared,  a  stranger  in  the  city. 
Didn't  suppose  it  would  lead  to  anything, 


103" 


but  I  wasn't  overlooking  a  single  bet.  The 
man  was  the  stage  door-tender.  I  described 
Hildreth  as  well  as  I  could  from  Ashby's 
description.  He  said  my  description  sound- 
ed something  like  that  of  a  man  who'd  come 
round  to  the  stage  door  just  after  the  first 
act  —  the  very  time  that  Hildreth  went  out. 
And  he  asked  for  Miss  Light  —  said  she  had 
sent  for  him." 

'  'Rot  !  '  '  cried  Atchison.  '  '  I  know  the  man 
'you  mean.  Regular  Johnny's  trick  to  get 
inside.  She  hadn't  sent  for  him;  but  she 
knew  him  and  received  him.  His  name  is 
Ted  Daly,  and  he's  at  Bishop's  restaurant 
now,  and  it's  about  him  that  I  was  calling 
up  Ashby.  I  want  you  to  find  out  his  hotel 


"Daly?"  said  Williams.  "But  if  his 
name  is  Daly,  why  did  he  tell  the  door-tender 
his  name  was  Hildreth?" 

"What!"  Atchison  's  voice  rose  almost  to 
a  scream.  "You  say  he  gave  the  name  of  — 
Williams,  you're  right  !  You  must  be  right  ! 
•Morn  has  —  I  can't  believe  —  I  do  believe  it! 


LOOT  103 

I  know  it!  She's  double-crossed  me,  tlie 
lying,  treacherous —  I'll  make  her  pay! 
I'll —  Williams!"  ~By  an  effort  he  calmed 
himself. 

"Williams,"  he  began  again,  more  calmly, 
"he  was  at  Bishop's  restaurant  within  an 
hour.  Get  over  there  at  once!  Ashby  and 
Brant  with  you  ?  Take  them.  Wait !  Have 
one  of  them  phone  the  house  and  get  every 
one  there  on  the  trail.  If  Hildreth  isn't 
there — and  Daly  is  a  name  that  might  pos- 
sibly help  you  in  identifying  him — find  out 
where  he  went." 

"And  where '11  you  be?"  asked  Williams. 

"Here."  He  gave  the  name  and  address 
of  the  drug  store.  "I  don't  want  to  start 
down-town.  Hildreth  may  be  gone  from 
Bishop's.  I'd  only  have  to  follow  after  you 
then.  You  telephone  me  the  moment  you  Ve 
jeither  landed  him  or  found  where  he  went; 
or,  if  you  haven't  learned  that,  phone  any- 
way." 

"And  if  it  has  to  be  done  in  a  hurry;  and 
ain't  easy — shall  we  take  chances!" 


1(M  LOOT 

"The  biggest  chance  we're  taking  is  in 
letting  him  go,"  snapped  Atchison.  "Take 
any  chance,  no  matter  how  wide  open. 
That's  why  I  want  you  to  get  the  crowd  at 
the  house.  No  one,  by  any  chance,  could 
identify  any  of  them.  Have  plenty  of  taxis, 
and  if  you  can't  kidnap  him — do  the  other. 
Quick!'' 

Atchison  hung  up  the  receiver  and  left 
the  booth. 

".Waiting  for  a  call,"  he  told  the  sleepy 
clerk,  who  nodded  uninterestedly. 

He  leaned  against  a  show  case ;  and  now, 
when  there  was  something  tremendous  on, 
when  any  wrath  he  had  hitherto  felt  against 
Morn  was  made  infinitesimal  by  comparison 
with  the  wild  fury  that  possessed  him  now, 
his  face  was  devoid  of  any  expression  save  a 
granitelike  hardness. 

That  he  did  not  rush  at  once  to  Morn 
Light's  apartment  proved  his  great  control 
of  self.  Morn  had  betrayed  him,  played 
with  him,  laughed  at  him,  snatched  his  prey 


LOOT  105 

from  his  grasp.  Williams'  words  fitted  in 
beautifully  with  the  other  evidence — the 
overheard  telephoning,  Morn's  false  reason 
for  the  call,  her  later  story  that  was  the  more 
plausible  because  it  contained  half  truths. 

He  even  remembered,  with  a  flash  of  scorn 
for  himself,  that  he  had  overlooked  its  po- 
tentiality— love  had  blinded  his  attitude 
toward  Morn;  in  another  he  would  have 
weighed  these  things — that  Morn  wore  the 
same  shoes  she  had  on  when  she  arrived  at 
Patello's.  Even  the  sprained  ankle,  then, 
was  fictitious.  She  had  pretended  in  order 
that  she  might  have  an  opportunity  to  send 
for  Hildreth.  The  latter  had  probably  told 
the  truth  to  the  stage  door-tender — that 
Morn  wished  to  see  him. 

But  why?  Morn  knew  nothing  of  Hil- 
dreth 's  unwitting  connection  with  the  plans 
of  the  Gray  Ghost.  At  least,  Atchison  had 
told  her  nothing  of  it.  Morn  knew  nothing 
definite,  save  that  something  tremendous 
impended— that  is,  from  the  lips  of  Atchison 


106  LOOT 

she  had  learned  no  more  than  that.  lAJnd  she 
could  not  have  guessed  names  and  details. 
Somebody  must  have  told  her  I  Who  ? 

He  was  still  expressionless  as  he  came  thus 
far  in  his  reasoning,  but  his  rage,  was  di- 
rected away  from  Morn  for  a  moment 
toward  the  unknown  who  had  yielded  up  the 
'Gray  Ghost's  secrets  to  a  scheming  woman. 
His  thoughts  went  back  to  Morn. 

A  scheming  woman!  How  dared  she? 
How  dared  she!  Had  she  pretended  com- 
plaisance all  along  ?  Had  even  her  questions 
of  to-night  been  deeply  thought  out,  uttered 
with  a  hope  of  winning  knowledge  from  him 
that  later  she  might  hand  over  to  some  one 
else  ?  It  was  impossible ;  but — what  else  did 
her  connection  with  Hildreth  mean  ? 

Still,  he  did  not  go  to  her  apartment.  If 
Morn  was  treacherous  it  would  be  better  to 
keep  her  in  ignorance  of  his  suspicions,  so 
that  she  might  unwittingly  inform  the 
many  who  would  watch  her  from  to-night  on 
of  the  identity  of  those  who  profited  by  her 


LOOT  107 

treachery.  As  soon  as  "Williams  phoned 
again  he  would  have  watchers  stationed  out- 
side the  Glenworth.  Meantime — he  could 
wait. 


CHAPTER 


HILDRETH  LEARNS  OF  THE  GRAY  GHOST;  AND 
AVOIDS  SOME  CALLERS 

HILDRETH  rang  for  a  servant  and  re- 
quested to  see  Jacques.  The  head  waiter 
came  in  a  moment. 

"Miss  Light,"  said  Hildreth,  "just  tele- 
phoned me.  The  end  of  her  speech  sounded 
queer  ;  not  merely  her  words  —  they;  were 
disconnected,  entirely  foreign  to  what  she 
had  been  saying  —  but  her  voice  was  queer.  It 
was  as  though  some  one  had  quietly  entered 
the  room  and  she  had  discovered  his  pres- 
ence just  in  time." 

"It  is  probable,  monsieur,"  said  Jacques. 

"And  is  she  in  danger  at  the  hands  of  that 
person?" 

Jacques  hesitated. 

"Mademoiselle  is  a  brilliant  actress;  far 
108 


LOOT  109 

more  brilliant  than  her  comic-opera  efforts 
require.  If  she  heard  this  some  one  in  time 
• — she  can  be  trusted  to  play  a  part  well.  She 
is  of  quick  wit,  monsieur." 

"But  if  she  didn't  hear  his  entrance  in 
time?  ;Whatthen?" 

Jacques'  swarthy  face  grew  a  shade 
lighter. 

"I  do  not  like  to  think  of  that,  monsieur," 
he  said  slowly. 

"That's  enough,  Jacques,"  said  Hildreth. 

He  started  for  the  door,  but  the  waiter 
barred  his  path. 

"Monsieur !  Monsieur,  I  beg  of  you !" 

"But  you  yourself  said  that  she  was  in 
danger  1"  cried  Hildreth. 

"But  if  she  were — monsieur  would  be  too 
late !  He  would  only  expose  himself." 

"And  you'd  have  me  make  that  a  reason 
for  sitting  quietly  here?"  cried  Hildreth. 

He  pushed  the  Frenchman  aside,  but 
Jacques  clung  to  his  arm. 

"But  listen,  monsieur ;  but  listen !"  gasped 
Jacques.  "Mademoiselle  is  wonderful — but 


I1Q  LOOT, 

wonderful!  The  chances  are  a  hundred  to 
one  that  she  is  not  suspected  yet ;  and,  if  she 
is,  the  chances  are  still  the  same  that  she  will 
carry  off  the  situation.  She  has  brains.  She 
has  poise.  Suppose  she  is  not  suspected  and 
that  monsieur  goes  to  her  apartment — what 
then?" 

"LWell,  what  then!  I'm  a  grown  man, 
capable  of  taking  care  of  her!" 

"Against  the  Gray  Ghost?  Monsieur  is 
big,  is  strong,  doubtless,  has  courage  of  a 
surety;  but  against  the  Gray  Ghost — " 

,The  Frenchman  released  his  grip  of  Hil- 
'dreth's  arm;  he  leaned  again  the  wall  and 
mopped  his  forehead  with  a  handkerchief. 
Hildreth  stared  at  him,  amazed. 

"You  don't  mean  to  tell  me —  Look  here, 
Jacques ;  I'm  not  a  child,  afraid  of  the  bogy- 
man.  You're  talking  sheer  nonsense,  aren't 
you?" 

"Monsieur  has  heard  of  the  Gray  Ghost, 
has  he  not?" 

"As  I've  heard  of  Arsene  Lupin,  Raffles 
and  others.  He  doesn't  exist,  does  he?  I 


LOOT;  111 

thought  lie  was  a  myth,  a  scapegoat  when  the 
police  Johnnies  over  here  came  a  cropper." 

"Yet  has  not  Scotland  Yard  permitted 
him  to  take  the  blame  for  certain  affairs 
that  have  happened  in  England?" 

"I  thought  they  were  taking  a  leaf  out  of 
the  book  of  the  police  over  here.  You  don't 
mean  to  tell  me  that  there  really  is  such  a — 
You  don't  mean  to  say  that  he  might  be  with 
Miss  Light  now?" 

Jacques  nodded. 

"It  is  not  impossible,  monsieur.  [And  if 
monsieur  should  go  up  to  her  apartment  now 
and  the  Gray  Ghost  should  be  there — «  Mon- 
sieur is,  as  I  have  said,  of  a  strength  and 
.courage  most  admirable;  but — the  Gray 
Ghost  is  the  Gray  Ghost !  Monsieur  would 
sign  his  death-warrant.  That  is  monsieur's 
business.  But  he  would  also  sign  the  death- 
warrant  of  Mademoiselle  Light,  who  has 
risked  much  in  his  behalf." 

He  straightened  up  and  moved  away  from 
the  wall.  He  touched  Hildreth  on  the  arm 
and  his  eyes  pleaded. 


112  LOOT 

"But  he's  only;  one  man,  if  he's  not  a  myth 
and  is  a  reality.  One  man ! ' ' 

"But  such  a  man!"  cried  Jacques.  "And, 
though  he  seems  to  be  alone — who  can  tell 
who  lurk  in  the  shadows  I  [Who  knows  how 
many;  score  of  his  followers  are  within  a 
dozen  yards?  Monsieur,  if  you  have  any 
gratitude  for  a  lady  who  has  faced  danger 
for  you,  you  will  stay  here." 

Swiftly  Hildreth  moved  between  the 
Frenchman  and  the  door. 

"I'm  not  a  child,  Jacques,7'  he  said 
warningly.  "I've  been  playing  puss-in-the- 
corner,  darting  from  one  place  to  another, 
long  enough.  iWhat  is  Miss  Light's  connec- 
tion with  the  Gray  Ghost  ?  Who  is  the  Gray 
'Ghost  ?  Where  do  I  belong  in  his  scheme  of 
things  f  [You  know ;  t ell  me ! " 

Jacques  shrugged  his  shoulders.  He 
shook  his  head. 

"Yery  well,"  said  Hildreth.  "I  shall 
leave  here.  I  shall  go  to  the  nearest  police- 
man, as  I  should  have  done  some  hours  ago. 
I  shall  tell  him  all  I  know  or  suspect.  The 


LOOT  113 

police  aren't  helpless!  They  6an  round  up 
this  Gray  Ghost  in  an  hour,  can't  they?" 

"They  have  been  trying  to  round  him  up 
for  ten  years,  monsieur." 

"But  Miss  Light  can  identify  him,  can  tell 
where  he.is  to  be  found,  can't  she?" 

"And  suppose  she  did?  [What  then? 
Monsieur,  I  know,  the  police  know,  other 
people  know,  what  the  Gray  Ghost  has  done 
here  and  in  Europe.  [We  know  it!  But, 
monsieur,  it  can  not  be  proved.  There  is  no 
evidence ;  has  never  been  any  evidence." 

"But  his  gang — a  confession — " 

Jacques  laughed  harshly. 

"A  confession !  Monsieur,  there  is  not  one 
of  his  gang  that  would  confess.  [Why  ?  Be- 
cause they  know  they  would  not  live  long 
to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  treachery  to  him. 
Monsieur  is  not  familiar  with  events  here  ? 
Listen :  Four  years  ago,  in  Chicago,  a  bank 
was  robbed.  A  certain  man  was  arrested  on 
suspicion.  Certain  securities  were  found  in 
his  lodgings.  Monsieur,  he  was  an  ignorant 
criminal,  of  the  class  called  yeggmen.  Aiy* 


114  LOOT 

the  robbery; — it  is  not  good  to  admire  crime, 
but  one  can  admire  genius.  And  genius  had 
directed  that  robbery.  Only  the  fact  that 
this  yeggman  drank,  and,  in  his  cups  talked, 
caused  his  arrest. 

"Monsieur,  it  was  evident  that,  though 
this  man  possessed  some  of  the  fruits  of  the 
robbery,  he  could  not  have  planned  it  and 
carried  it  through  alone.  The  Gray  Ghost's 
hand  showed  in  every  way.  Yet,  monsieur, 
a  week  after  his  arrest,  he  confessed !  And, 
monsieur,  it  was  not  robbery  alone  that  he 
had  to  answer  for ;  it  was  murder,  for  a  night 
watchman  had  been  slain.  Yet  he  confessed ! 
Confessed  and  swore  that  he,  and  he  alone, 
had  planned  the  robbery,  committed  it  and 
murdered  the  watchman. 

"Monsieur,  he  was  sentenced  to  death. 
Monsieur,  he  was  in  the  death  house !  And 
then — oh,  by  the  veriest  of  accidents — a 
sheriff  from  another  county  visited  the  death 
house.  He  saw  the  yeggman  and  recognized 
him.  Monsieur,  at  the  time  the  bank  was 


LOOT  115 

robbed  this  criminal  was  serving  the  last  day 
of  his  sentence  in  a  workhouse,  a  sentence 
imposed  the  previous  month  for  drunken- 
ness. So  he  could  hardly  have  planned  the 
crime  and  certainly  not  have  executed  it. 

"  There  was  a- stay  of  execution  obtained. 
The  man  was  examined  again.  Still,  he 
maintained  that  he  had  done  the  crime  for 
which  he  was  to  die.  Monsieur,  it  was  so 
palpably  false  that  he  was  pardoned  by  the 
governor ;  it  had  to  be.  To  have  let  him  die 
for  a  crime  he  had  not  committed  would 
have  been  a  travesty  on  justice.  He  was 
given  a  sentence  for  perjury  in  the  hope  that 
he  would,  under  constant  watch,  betray  his 
associates  somehow.  He  never  did.  He  was 
released  two  years  ago.  And  while  he  stayed 
in  jail,  both  in  the  death  house  and  later,  his 
wife  and  children  moved  into  better  quar- 
ters; the  wife  hired  a  servant;  she  bought 
her  own  house.  Where  did  the  money  come 
from?  She  would  not  say,  nor  could  it  be 
discovered.  But  she  received  it." 


116  LOOT 

"You  mean  to  tell  me  that  this  yeggman 
would  have  died  for  the  reward  his  wife  re- 
ceived?" demanded  Hildreth  incredulously. 

"I  will  tell  you  what  is  believed  by  those 
who  should  know, ? '  answered  Jacques.  ' '  The 
man  was  of  the  gang ;  his  arrest  for  drunk- 
enness had  prevented  him  from  taking  part 
In  the  robbery,  but  he  received  his  share  of 
the  profit.  Again  he  drank.  His  drinking 
had  jeopardized  the  Gray  Ghost.  And  so, 
monsieur,  he  was  told  that  he  must  bear  the 
whole  guilt.  His  wife  and  family  would  be 
looked  after.  But  that  was  not  all.  So 
surely  as  he  told  the  truth,  he  would  die. 
And  he  knew  that  he  would  die.  He  had  to 
choose  between  death  with  poverty  for  his 
'family  and  death  with  comfort  for  his  fam- 
ily. He  chose  the  latter." 

"But  if  the  Gray  Ghost  is.  so  well 
known — »" 

"Have  I  said  he  was  well  known?  I — I, 
monsieur,  have  long  wanted  to  see  him.  Per- 
haps I  have!  I  do  not  know  it.  Mademoi- 
selle Light  undoubtedly  has  seen  him,  but  is 


LOOT  117 

she  certain  that  the  man  she  knows  is  the* 
Gray  Ghost  ?  I  do  not  think  so.  Men  have 
gone  to  jail  and  the  police  have  said;  'This 
is  the  Gray  Ghost  T  And  the  next  week  a 
crime  has  been  committed  that  only  the  Gray 
Ghost  could  have  planned,  and  they  realize 
that  they  have  been  wrong. " 

"But  why  don't  the  police  arrest  the  man 
that  Miss  Light  thinks  is  the  Gray  Ghost?" 

"The  police?"  -Jacques  laughed  scorn- 
fully. "The  police  are  not  in  Miss  Light's 
confidence.  Bunglers  I  If  they  knew  what 
she  knew  doubtless  they  would  arrest  him — 
if  they  found  him.  !And  what  have  they 
against  him?  What  proof?  None,  mon- 
sieur. But  if  the  'Gray  Ghost  could  be  lo- 
cated, if  he  could  be  watched  as  he  planned 
a  crime,  if  he  could  be  seized  at  the  very 
moment  of  its  consummation — then,  mon- 
sieur, a  nation,  a  world,  would  be  rid  of  the 
most  damnable — "  He  coughed  violently 
^and  when  he  removed  his  handkerchief  from 
his  mouth  he  was  very  white.  "I  am  ex- 
cited," he  said.  "It  is  not  well  for  me. 


LOOT 


.  .  .  Monsieur  appreciates  the  delicacy  of 
mademoiselle  's  position  1  '  ' 

"  You  mean  tliat  she  is  a  spy,  a  detective  ?" 
exclaimed  Hildreth. 

"In  the  ordinary;  sense,  no.  Monsieur,  I 
known  little.  Mademoiselle  has  entrusted  me 
with  little  commissions  occasionally.  To  you 
and  to  you  alone  have  I  ever  mentioned  her 
name  in  connection  with  that  of  the  Gray 
Ghost.  To  have  it  known,  even  to  the  police, 
would  be  to  sign  her  death-warrant.  The 
Gray  Ghost  would  know.  Le  T)on  Dieu  alone 
knows  how  she  has  deceived  him  thus  far; 
but  —  I  must  talk  no  more  ;  I  have  said  too 
much.  Only  —  for  some  reason  —  I  know  not 
what  —  mademoiselle  is  interested  in  mon- 
sieur. I  understand  that  monsieur  is  in  dan- 
ger and  that  mademoiselle  has  tried  to  avert 
it.  More  than  that  I  do  not  know.  I  would 
tell  monsieur  if  I  did,  for  monsieur  is  hon- 
est. But  yes,  it  is  apparent  in  monsieur's 
face.  I,  Jacques,  who  was  not  always  a  head 
waiter,  read  faces.  Monsieur  is  honest.  So 
I  have  trusted  him;  and  so  I  beg  him,  if  the, 


LOOT  119 

safety  of  mademoiselle  is  aught  to  him,  to 
remain  here." 

"And  the  police?"  said  Hildreth  hope- 
lessly once  more. 

"  Monsieur  could  find  no  swifter  way  of 
assuring  mademoiselle's  death  than  to  in- 
form the  police.  While  the  Gray  Ghost  lives 
— until  he  is  behind  steel  bars,  at  least — 
there  is  no  safety  for  those  who  war  against 
him.  And  a  premature  arrest — without 
proof — but  I  have  explained.  Monsieur  will 
wait?" 

"Ill  do  it,"  said  Hildreth.  "At  least  111 
wait  an  hour  or  so." 

"And  doubtless  monsieur  will  have  word 
of  mademoiselle  before  then.  Will  monsieur 
eat  now  ?  I  could  recommend — " 

"Oh,  bring  me  anything  at  all,  Jacques," 
said  Hildreth  despondently.  "I'm  not  par- 
ticularly hungry." 

"Yet  food  is  good  when  one  must  do  with- 
out sleep, ' '  said  Jacques.  *  *  I  will  bring  mon- 
sieur something  that  will  tempt  his  appe- 
tite." 


120  LOOT, 

His  manner  immediately;  became  that  of  a 
waiter  again.  He  looked  at  the  cloth  on  the 
table,  found  it  not  to  his  liking,  and  removed 
it.  iWith  a  jerky  bow  he  opened  the  door, 
and  passed  out  of  the  room,  taking  the  cloth 
with  him.  He  was  back  again  in  a  moment. 

"Monsieur!"  he  whispered,  white  of  face. 
"Hen  whom  mademoiselle  has  indicated  to 
me  at  times!— with  whom,  of  purpose,  she 
has  dined  here  that  I  may,  observe  them! — 
they  are  coming  along  the  hall.  Monsieur — - 
quick!" 

He  pointed  to  the  velvet  curtains.  Like  a 
flash  Hildreth  had  drawn  them  aside  and 
was  through  the  doorway  they  concealed. 
Swiftly,  yet  cautiously,  he  shot  the  bolts  on 
the  other  side,  then  pressed  his  ear  against 
the  upper  panel.  He  heard  a  key  scrape  and 
turn  in  the  door,  and  blessed  the  quick  wit 
of  Jacques  that  had  made  him  lock  it.  He 
heard  the  key  withdrawn.  Then  he  heard 
Jacques  begin  humming  a  little  French  air, 
and  could  tell  that  the  waiter  was  replacing 
the  cloth  on  the  table.  Then  the  farther  door, 


LOOT  121 

opened.  There  was  a  rush  of  feet  that  sud- 
denly halted,  as  though  the  intruders,  in- 
tending to  take  somebody  by  surprise,  were 
astounded  to  find  only  a  waiter. 

"You,  waiter!  ^Where's  the  man  who  was 
inhere?" 

Hildreth  thrilled  at  the  voice.  It  was  that 
of  the  man  who  had  crossed  in  front  of  him 
at  the  theater  on  his  way  to  get  a  smoke  ap- 
parently, and  who  had  begged  Hildreth 's 
pardon  for  incommoding  him. 

"Man  who  was  in  here,  monsieur?"  an- 
Bwered  Jacques.  "There  has  been  no  one 
here  for  half  an  hour." 

"Maybe  he's  telling  the  truth,"  said  an- 
other voice,  as  though  to  restrain  the  first 
speaker  from  attacking  the  waiter.  "The 
phone  girl  down-stairs  said  that  Daly  was  in 
this  room,  because  she'd  connected  him  for 
a  call.  But  that  was  over  half  an  hour  ago. ' ' 

"Messieurs  are  noisy,"  said  Jacques 
coldly.  "May  I  ask  why  they  intrude  and 
threaten?" 

"If   you're   wise   you'll   ask   nothing," 


122  LOOT 

snarled  a  third  voice.    "You  say  the  man 
who  was  here  left  half  an  hour  ago?" 

"But,  yes,  certainly,"  responded  Jacques. 

"Then  why  did  you  step  out,  see  us  andX 
step  quickly  back?" 

"I  shook  my  cloth  in  the  hall,"  said 
Jacques.  "Monsieur  will  not  remark  it,  I 
beg.  But  it  is  late  and  I  am  tired,  and  I 
wish  not  to  walk  down-stairs  to  shake  the  so- 
few  crumbs  from  it." 

"This  is  the  fourth  time  to-day,"  said  the 
second  speaker.  "He's  got  away  again.  If 
we  lose  him — "  He  whistled  softly.  ' '  I  don 't 
want  to  be  the  one  to  tell  him !" 

"Nor  I,"  said  the  first  speaker.  "But  if 
the  waiter  lies — •" 

' '  Oh,  come  on,  Ashby.  "Why  should  he  lie  ? 
Where  does  he  come  in  ?  Come  down-stairs 
and—" 

Hildreth  waited  for  no  more.  If  it  had 
been  possible,  after  hearing  Morn's  voice 
over  the  telephone  and  after  listening  to 
Jacques,  to  have  had  any  doubts,  they  would 
have  been  swept  away  by  his  certain  evi- 


LOOT  123 

denee  thai  the  actress  labored  under  no  mis- 
apprehension, that  he  himself  was  not  over- 
alarmed.  Proof  piled  on  proof  that  he  was 
the  victim  of  some  deadly  plan. 

He  darted  down  the  stairs  at  which  he  had 
looked  sometime  earlier.  He  would  beat  the 
others  to  the  street.  And  as  he  ran  a  thought 
came  to  him.  If  these  men — emissaries,  of 
course,  of  the  Gray  Ghost — knew  that  he 
was  to  be  at  Bishop's,  they  must  have 
learned  it  from  only  one  person.  That  per- 
son was  Morn  Light !  So  then,  while  he  had 
listened  to  Jacques,  been  persuaded  by  the 
Frenchman,  Morn  had  beten  in  danger;  fou 
the  Gray  Ghost  must  have  won  the  secret  of 
the  appointment  from  her. 

How  ?  Hildreth  shuddered.  If  the  Gray 
Ghost  really  existed  and  were  one-tenth  as 
evil  as  repute  made  him.,  the  manner  of  his 
forcing  Hildreth 's  whereabouts  from  Morn 
would  not  bear  contemplation — not  if  the 
Englishman  wished  to  preserve  his  reason. 
And  there  was  a  chance  that  the  Gray  Ghost 
was  still  with  Morn,  had  directed  his  fol- 


124  LOOT 

lowers  by  telephone  from  her  apartment, 
.was  even  now  gloating  over  the  tortured  vic- 
tim of  his  horrifying  wickedness.  It  was 
no  time  to  appeal  to  the  police;  it  was  no 
time  to  hesitate.  It  was  the  time  for  Hil- 
clreth,  regardless  of  his  own  danger,  to  rush 
lo  the  girl's  aid  and,  if  too  late,  to  die  in  the 
effort  to  exact  vengeance  if  need  be.  He  for- 
got everything  save  Morn. 

"The  Glenworth— like  the  "devil!"  he  said 
fo  the  startled  chauffeur  of  a  taxi  drawn  up 
opposite  the  side,  entrance  from  which  he 
had  emerged. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

HILDRETH  MEETS  THE  GRAY  GHOST 

THE  hall  boy  slept  over  the  telephone  desk 
in  the  Glenworth.  Hildreth  shook  him  into 
surprised  wakefulness. 

"Miss  Light's  apartment — jfjuick!" 

'  '  Next  floor,  suh, ' '  said  the  boy.  "  I  '11  ring 
her  right  away,  suh." 

' l Never  mind  ringing ! ' '  snapped  Hildreth. 
"Tell  me,  do  you  know  whether  she  has  any 
Other  callers?" 

"Dere  was  a  gemmen  went  up  'bout  a 
liouah  ago,  suh.  Mebbe  he  come  down,  but  I 
ain't  seen  him.  [But  if  I  lets  you  up  wifout 
ringin'  I  might  lose  my  job,  suh." 

"Ill  see  that  you  don't,"  said  Hildreth. 
"Left  or  right  hand  apartment?" 

"Eight,  suh — right  at  de  top  of  de  stairs," 
replied  the  boy,  his  fingers  closing  OYgr  the 

125 


126  LOOT 

bill  Hildreth  placed  in  his  palm.  He  was 
nodding  again  before  the  Englishman  had 
got  half-way  up  the  stairs.  .What  did  he  care 
about  the'  eccentricities  of  Miss  Light's 
caller,  his  wildness  of  manner,  or  the  late- 
ness of  the  hour,  when  his  fingers  had  felt 
palm  oil!  He  was  smiling  cheerfully;  as  he 
nodded.  The  bill  was  a  five. 

Hildreth  tried  the  door  gently.  It  was 
locked.  He  could  not,  then,  if  the  Gray 
jGrhost  was  inside,  hope  to  surprise  him.  He 
wished  he  had  a  weapon,  but  the  fact  that  he 
'did  not  have  one  did  not  deter  him.  He  rang 
the  bell.  In  a  moment  the  door  opened  and 
he  beheld  Morn  Light. 

His  knees  felt  suddenly  weak.  He  felt 
suddenly  dizzy,  reaction  clouding  his  brain ; 
but  only  for  a  second.  Then  he  was  inside, 
the  door  closed  behind  him,  her  hands  in  his. 

"You!"  he  said.  "You!  And  I  was 
afraid  that  he  might  have — you're  not  hurt? 
'Surely  he  knew  that  you  had  warned  me, 
were  planning  to  warn  me  further?"  He 
dropped  her  hands.  '  l  You  didn  't  tell  him  to 


LOOT  127 

save  yourself?  But  forgive  me,  Morn." 
And  neither  he  nor  she  seemed  to  find  it  ex- 
traordinary that  he  should  use  her  first 
name.  "Of  course  you  didn't!  You  couldn't, 
you  brave — •" 

Again  he  reached  for  her  hands ;  but  she 
put  them  behind  her,  backing  away.  She, 
was  very  white  in  the  glow  of  the  electric 
bulbs. 

1  i  Why  did  you  come  ?  I  told  you  to  wait, ' ' 
she  whispered. 

'  *  Is  he  here  ? ' '  queried  Hildreth.  ' « If  he 
is—  " 

He  pushed  by  her  into  the  drawing-room ; 
but  it  was  empty. 

"Why  did  you  come?" 

"They  knew  I  was  at  Bishop's.  I  barely 
avoided  them,"  he  answered.  "Didn't  you 
know?  "We — Jacques  and  I —  They  came 
and  he  got  me  away.  I  was  afraid  that  he — 
the  Gray  Ghost,  I  mean ;  Jacques  told  me  of 
him — had  somehow  found  out  from  you — " 

' '  That  I  had  betrayed  you  ?  And  still  you 
came?"  Her  eyes  were  wondering. 


128  LOOT 

"What  if  you  had?  And  I  really  didn't 
think  at  all — I  was  afraid  to;  I  only  knew 
that  if  they  knew  where  I  was  they  must 
suspect  your  connection  with  my  being 
there — " 

"And  he  must;  he  must!''  cried  Morn. 
"  Unless — he  might  still  think  you  Daly,  and 
out  of  jealousy — "  She  blushed. 

"It  couldn't  be  that,"  Hildreth  answered, 
puzzled.  "I  heard  one  of  them  say  that  this 
was  the  fourth  time  they'd  lost  me — they 
meant  me — Hildreth.  But  how  did  he 
know?" 

"I  didn't  tell  him." 

"Of  course  not  I  OBut  if  you  had  I 
shouldn't  blame  you.  i5Tou've  done  enough 
for  me.  [But  he  knew.  How  ? ' 9 

She  looked  the  picture  of  amazed  despair. 
She  shook  her  head. 

"I  can't  guess.  The  usher  that  took  my 
note  to  you — he  wouldn't  have  told.  I 
warned  him  not  to.  Why  should  he  have 
connected  Ted  Daly  with — Wade  Hildreth? 
And  if  he  did  do  that — and  he  must  have — 


LOOT  129 

he  knows  that  I —  You  must  go — at  once! 
I  am  safe.  But  you — " 

"For  how  long?"  demanded  Hildreth. 
"If  he  knows  that  you — " 

The  fright  on  her  face,  which  she  bravely 
attempted  to  hide,  but  which  was  still  so  vis- 
ible, made  his  heart  ache. 

' '  Sit  down, ' '  he  said  bruskly.  ' '  Have  you 
anything  to  drink?" 

She  pointed  to  a  desk".  He  opened  the 
upper  part  and  found  a  decanter  and  glasses. 
He  poured  out  some  liquor  and  gave  it  to 
her. 

"Drink  it!"  he  ordered. 

He  went  into  the  hall  and  came  back  in  a 
moment  with  the  coat  and  hat  he  found 
hanging  there. 

' '  Put  these  on ! "  he  commanded. 

She  had  sipped  the  brandy  and  there  was 
some  color  in  her  cheeks. 

"If  I  should  do  that,"  she  said,  "it  would 
mean  the  end  of  hope.  I  can  not.  But 
you — " 

"I  tried  the  front  door  just  now,"  he  in- 


130  LOOT 

terrupted.  "It  is  locked.  If  lie  should 
.come  and  we  think  that  there  are  others  with 
}rim,  it  will  be  a  simple  matter  to  open  a 
svindow  and  call  for  the  police." 

"You  don't  understand  1"  she  eried.  "It 
isn't  my;  safety  that  matters;  I'm  willing  to 
risk  my;  life  to  expose  him.  But  your  stag- 
ing jeopardizes  that  end/' 

"Now,  listen,"  said  Hildreth,  "if  this  man 
returns  here  we  will  do  what  I  have  just 
Said;  we  will  call  for  help.  That  it  jeopar- 
dizes your  end  means  nothing  to  me,  for  the 
attainment  of  that  end  endangers  your  life 
and  the  end  simply  can't  be  worth  anything 
like  that.  Whatever  your  connection  with 
this  .Gray  Ghost  Johnny  may  be,  it  ends  to- 
night. Do  you  understand  me  ?  It  has  ended 
already.  If  I  do  not  get  your  promise  to 
Cease  all  attempts  to  land  him  in  jail  I  shall 
simply  go  directly  to  the  police,  tell  them  all 
I  know,  and  insist  that  a  guard  be  put  over 
you.  The  presence  of  a  detective  in  your 
wake  will  certainly  put  an  end  to  your  trj;- 


LOOT  131 

Ing  to  blind  the  Gray  Ghost.  You'll  with- 
draw from  this  mess." 

"You  assume  a  great  deal  of  authority, 
'don't  you?" 

"Because  I  feel  that  some  one  ought  to. 
There  seems  to  be  no  one  else  capable  of 
assuming  it,  so  I  do  so.  Now  then,  if  he 
suspected  you  he  would  certainly  not  have 
left  you  to  your  own  devices.  That  he  has 
so  left  you  makes  it  seem  pretty  certain  to 
me  that  his  suspicions  aren't  definite  enough 
for  him  to  act  on  as  yet,  which  brings  me 
back  to  what  I  said  a  few  moments  ago.  This 
is  the  last  place  he  'd  look  for  me.  Now  then, 
if  his  suspicions  become  definite  at  any  mo- 
ment and  he  comes  here  looking  for  you,  my; 
presence  can  not  make  matters  any  worse. 
Indeed,  my  presence  may  deter  him  from 
'doing  anything  rash. ' '  And  Hildreth  smiled 
grimly. 

She  eyed  him  appraisingly. 

"If  he  came  alone-— perhaps." 

"And  if  he  doesn't  taere  are  the  windows 


132  LOOT 

to  call  from, ' '  he  said.  ' '  Now  then,  I'm  con- 
vinced that  it  adds  nothing  to  your  danger 
for  me  -to  remain.  If  he  comes  at  all  he 
comes  for  evil.  I  propose  to  be  here  to  block 
that  evil.  Unless  you'll  come  away  with  me 
now?" 

"And  give  up?  You  don't  understand, 
Mr.  Hildreth.  I  have — power — over  him ;  a 
little.  I  could  persuade  him  that  he 's  wrong, 
somehow,  and  be  able  to  continue — *" 

"Oh,  no,  you  won't.  Tou  evidently  don't 
understand  me,"  he  interrupted.  "From 
Jacques  I  obtained  a  pretty  clear  idea  of 
your  plans.  Where  men  have  failed,  you,  a 
woman,  try  to  succeed.  For  some  reason  or 
other  you  have  determined  to  bring  the  Gray 
Ghost  to  justice.  Such  a  proceeding  is  too 
fraught  with  danger  for  me  to  permit  you  to 
attempt  it.  Tou  may  drop  now  and  for 
all  time,  Miss  Light,  any  idea  of  prosecuting 
your  plans  against  the  man.  Jacques  said 
that  a  word  to  the  police  would  spoil  every- 
thing. I  shall  give  the  police  that  word." 

"But  why?    Why?    I  have  risked  some- 


LOOT  133 

thing  for  you!  Why  should  you  wish  to 
spoil  my  chances  for  success?" 

"That,  Miss  Light,"  he  answered,  "is 
something  I  can  not  explain  without  seeming 
presumptuous."  Then,  as  she  Mushed, 
whether  with  anger  or  from  other  reasons 
he  could  not  tell,  he  continued:  "We're 
alone  now,  at  any  rate.  Your  maid  is  evi- 
'dently  safe  in  her  room.  The  Gray  Ghost 
isn't  in  the  apartment.  Don't  you  think  it's 
about  time  I  received  an  explanation?  I've 
obeyed  orders  pretty  well,  except  in  coming 
up  here,  and  circumstances  must  apologize 
for  that  breach. 

"I  must  tell  you  this :  If  I  do  not  receive 
an  explanation  from  you  it  is  my  intention 
at  once  to  put  the  police  in  possession  of  the 
knowledge  of  all  that  has  happened  to  me 
this  evening.  I  will  do  so,  not  from  fear  for 
myself  but  because  it  is  my  duty.  I  am 
here  on  missions  of  considerable  importance. 
I  can  not  permit  them  to  suffer  interference. 
Furthermore,  I  can  not  permit  you,  a  young 
girl,  to  undergo  the  dangers  that  so  evidently 


131  LOOT 

beset  you.  Now  then,  Miss  Light,  why  did 
you  send  for  me  to  come  to  your  dressing- 
room?" 

"To  warn  you." 

"Of  course  I  understand  that ;  but  against 
what  ?  Where  does  this  Gray  Ghost  Johnny 
come  in  with  me  ?  And  how  did  you  know 
who  I  was?" 

"I  recognized  you  from  your  picture." 

"My  picture!  But  where  on  earth  had 
you  seen  it?" 

"In  England.  If  I  tell  you  what  I  know, 
will  you  go?  And  hide?  And  not  inform 
the  police,  but  leave  me  to—" 

' l  Pace  this  Gray  Ghost  ?   Not  much  1 ' ' 

"But  can't  you  trust  my  brains?  I  can 
handle  the  situation,  no  matter  what  he  sus- 
pects. I  can  explain  that  you  had  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  me  under  the  name  of  Daly 
from  an  English  actress;  that  I  told  him 
you  were  an  old  friend  because  I  was  afraid 
he  would  permit  me  to  gain  no  new  friends 
just  now;  that  I  didn't  dream  you  were 
Hildreth." 


LOOT  135 

' '  Too  thin !   He  'd  not  believe  you. ' ' 

* i  No  ? ' '  Morn  looked  at  him,  and  he  drank 
in  her  beauty.  * ;  You  think  he  woul  dn  't  1 ' ' 

A  flush  of  resentment  possessed  him. 

1  'Even  if  he  should,  I  don't  intend  that 
you  shall  be  put  in  a  position  to  have  to 
lie—" 

"You  don't?  Mr.  Hildreth,  you  assume 
a  lot." 

"Forgive  me,"  he  stammered.  "I  mean 
• — but  how  can  I  tell  whether  or  not  I'll  con- 
sent until  I  know  more?  You  recognized 
me?" 

"I  knew — very  vaguely — that  something 
tremendous,  the  biggest  crime  of  the  century 
— of  any  century — was  planned.  That  was 
all.  But  I  also  knew  that  an  Englishman 
had  something  to  do  with  it ;  that  he  was  to 
be  decoyed  somehow  and — killed,  I  guessed. 
I  did  not  know  the  details.  I  did  not  know 
his  name  or  how  he  was  connected  with  the 
affair.  I  had  nothing  to  go  on.  I  would 
have  saved  this  man,  but — how  could  I  ?  . 

"There  was  no  evidence  that  would  go 


13«  LOOT 

with  the  police,  with  the  courts.  I  had  to 
wait  until  I  knew  all.  That  this  English- 
man would  suffer  was  dreadful  to  contem- 
plate, but  how  could  I  warn  him  I  If  I  said 
that  the  man  whom  I  believe  to  be  the  Gray; 
Ghost  wyas  the  Gray  Ghost  I  should  have 
been  laughed  at,  for  I  had  no  proof!  And 
such  prematureness  meant  failure — of 
everything.  This  Englishman,  whoever  he 
might  be,  would  not  be  saved  by  any  dis- 
closures I  might  give  the  police,  even  though 
they  were  willing  to  act  on  what  would  seem 
the  hysteria  of  a  silly  girl.  So  I  could  do 
nothing,  but — pray. 

"Then,  to-night  at  the  theater  I  found  a 
note  from — " 

"The  Gray  Ghost ?"  queried  Hildreth 
excitedly. 

Her  shoulders  sagged  wearily. 

"I  don't  know — for  certain.  In  my  heart 
I  call  him  that — I  do  know — but  I  have  no 
proof.  .  .  .  His  note  told  me  that  I 
should  be  needed  to-night  to  entertain  a 
young  Englishman.  It  was  a  command  that 


LOOT  137 

could  not  be  disregarded.  I  was  told  to  go 
directly  to  a  restaurant  known  as  Patello's 
as  soon  as  my  performance  was  over. 

"I  was  horrified,  but — glad.  I  might  in 
some  way,  now  that  I  was  to  meet  this  Eng- 
lishman face  to  face,  warn  him.  Then,  in 
the  audience,  I  saw  you.  I  played  in  London 
last  year — in  The  Rose  Garden." 

"I  saw  it,  but  I  don't  remember  you,"  said 
Hildreth. 

"I  wasn't  starring  then.  I  had  a  minor 
part.  Moreover,  when  did  you  see  it  ?  The 
first  month?" 

"No,"  said  Hildreth.  "It  was  in  the  sec- 
ond month.  My  cousin,  Alice  Beaumont, 
had  a  part  in  it.  But  I  was  in  Scotland  on 
business  for  a  month  after  the  play 
opened — " 

"I  know.  Alice  told  me.  We  were  rather 
good  friends.  She  showed  me  your  picture 
and  spoke  of  you  often.  I  spent  many 
nights  at  her  apartment.  Then,  at  the  end 
of  a  month,  I  had  to  return  to  New  York. 
A  chance  for  a  better  part — well,  that's  why 


138  LOOT 

you  didn't  see  me.  Even  if  you'd  ha\e  re- 
membered me — " 

t 'I  think  I  should,"  he  said  dryly,  and  at 
his  tone  she  colored  faintly. 

"I  saw  you,"  she  resumed.  "I'm  not  al- 
together certain  that  I'd  have  recognized 
you  but  for  the  fact  that  next  you  I  saw  a 
man  who  is  one  of — his  followers — a  man. 
called  Ashby.  Ashby's  face  suggested  the 
young  Englishman;  that  helped  me  in 
placing  you,  and  then — I  knew.  Ashby  was 
spying  on  you,  keeping  close  to  you.  It  was 
more  now  than  warning  an  utter  stranger; 
it  was  a  matter  of  warning  the  cousin  of  a 
dear  friend  of  mine.  And  I  had  to  do  it 
quickly;  it  might  already  be  too  late,  but  I 
didn't  think  so.  Ashby  didn't  seem  to  have 
made  your  acquaintance  and  I  prayed  that 
he  would  not. 

"I  knew  that  I  must  warn  you;  so  I  pre- 
tended to  hurt  my  ankle.  Once  in  my  dress- 
ing-room, I  got  rid  of  Celia,  my  maid,  and 
got  a  stage  hand  to  give  a  note  to  an  usher. 
The  usher  used  to  be  a  newsboy ;  I  got  him 


LOOT  139 

his  place ;  he  would  not  give  me  away.  But 
I  dared  not  put  my  warning  in  the  note  I 
sent  you.  You  might  be  alarmed  and  take 
the  matter  up  with  the  police.  And  when 
you  came  to  me  I  dared  not  explain;  Celia 
might  return  at  any  moment ;  she  might  be- 
come suspicious — she  is  of  his  followers.  So 
I  made  the  appointment  and  warned  you  not 
to  go  back  to  your  seat.  During  the  second 
act,  when  I  was  not  on  stage,  I  got  rid  of 
Celia  again  and  used  the  telephone  back 
stage  to  call  up  Jacques,  whom  I  could  trust 
« — I  have  had  dealings  with  him — and 
warned  him  of  your  coming. 

"I  had  to  keep  my  appointment  at  Pa- 
tello  's.  I  did  so,  thinking  that,  as  they  would 
have  lost  you,  I  should  be  free.  But  I  was 
told  to  go  to  my  apartment  and  wait.  I 
dared  not  leave.  I  sent  Celia  out  for  another 
headache  cure.  Then  I  telephoned  you,  beg- 
ging you  to  wait,  thinking  that  after  they 
were  through  with  me  I  could  still  see  you 
and  make  you  understand  how  deadly  was 
your  danger.  He  came  in  as  I  was  phoning 


140  LOOT 

and — you  know  how  I  acted.  Then  I  lied  to 
him,  saying  that  you  had  called  me  up. 
!When  I  discovered  that  he  had  overheard 
the  hall  boy  getting  the  connection  for  me  I 
made  him  think  I  was  a  little  ashamed  at  be- 
ing caught  apologizing  to  a  man.  I  pre- 
tended you  were  an  old  friend  and  that  I'd 
been  rude  to  you,  and  then  that  you'd  pre- 
sumed on  my  apology  to  insist  on  my  going 
out.  I  thought  that  satisfied  him. 

"I  was  afraid,  after  he  had  gone,  to  use 
the  telephone  again.  I  could  not  be  sure 
that  he  was  deceived;  he  might  be  waiting 
down-stairs  to  overhear  my  message.  Negro 
hall  boys  can  be  bribed,  you  know.  And  then 
you  came !  And  you  tell  me  that  he  knows. 
Will  you  go  now?" 

"But  you've  told  me  nothing,"  he  pro- 
tested. 

"I've  told  all  I  know — about  you.  You 
probably  can  guess  why  they  should  be  in- 
terested in  you." 

"I  imagine  that  a  two-million-dollar  neck- 


LOOT  141 

lace  would  interest  the  Gray  Ghost  and  his 
precious  gang,"  said  Hildreth. 

"Two — million — dollars!  .Oh,  you  must 
go !  [Why — y our  life — • ' ' 

"Your  life!  Let's  consider  that,"  cried 
Hildreth.  "If  his  plans,  whatever  they  are, 
go  astray  through  you,  what  will  your  life 
be  worth  ? 


matter  how  wicked,  does  not  easily  destroy 
that  which  he  loves." 

"You  mean  that  he — " 

She  nodded  wearily. 

"He  thinks  so.  I  did  not  realize  it  until 
recently.  He  had  made  a  promise  never  to 
speak  to  me  of  love.  I  hoped  he  had  got  over 
it.  But  to-nighi>-" 

"And  you  will  submit  to  his  love  mak- 
ing?" 

"I  must." 

"Because  of  your  plan  to —  But  you  speak 
of  his  orders,  his  commands.  Is  there  more 
than  your  plan  ?  Has  he  a — hold  over  you  ? ' ' 


"Not  enough  to  make  me  marry  him;  I 
cauld  die,  you  kntfw,"  she  said  quietly. 
' l  But,  except  for  that — yes.  Or,  he  has  had ; 
I  can't  explain  now!" 

"A  hold  over  you!"  he  repeated  wonder- 
ingly.  "And  yet  you  work  against  him? 
Risking  your  life  at  every  moment !  Morn, 
Morn,  you  can't !  Listen !  You  know  some- 
thing of  him.  Not  enough  for  proof,  you 
say;  but  let  the  police  judge  of  that." 

'  i  I  must  wait, ' '  she  answered.  ' i  If  things 
are  as  I  think  they  are — and  if  I  can  deceive 
him  once  more  about  you — and  I'm  sure  I 
can — within  three  days — by  Thursday — I 
will  have  the  proof  I  need.  And  then — " 

Her  eyes  lighted  with  exultation  \  but 
there  was  none  in  Hildreth's  eyes. 

"And  you  think  I'll  let  you  continue  in 
danger  until  then  ?  Risk  his  wrath  ?  Morn, 
listen  to  me !  You  say  you  are  not  sure  that 
this  man  who  holds  you  in  his  power  is  the 
gray  Ghost?" 

"He  may  only  be  the  agent  of  the  .Gray 
Ghost,"  she  replied. 


LOOT  143 

"But  the  agent  could  lead  us  to  liis  mas- 
ter. Tell  me  this  man's  name.  Where  does 
he  live  ?  You  and  I  will  leave  here  now.  I 
will  put  you  somewhere — in  some  hotel 
where  he  can't  find  you.  '  Then  I'll  go — not 
to  the  police,  but  to  a  detective  agency.  They 
may  laugh  at  me,  but  I'll  pay  them  well. 
We'll  go  to  this  man's  lodgings.  We'll  take 
him.  We'll  wring  the  truth  from  him. 
Morn,  tell  me  his  name.  What  is  the  name 
of  this  man  you  think  is  the  Gray  Ghost?" 

"Yes,  Morn;  tell  him  my  name,"  said  a 
yoice  from  the  doorway. 

Hildreth  turned.  Gray  of  hair,  of  com- 
plexion, of  clothing,  JTildreth  had  only  time 
to  realize  that  the  intruder,  if  he  were  not 
the  Gray  Ghost,  certainly  looked  that 
wraithlike  part.  He  snatched  at  a  chair,  but 
the  Gray  Ghost  stepped  aside.  Men  filled 
the  little  drawing-room. 


CHAPTER  IX 

UERRY  TEYON   GOES  TO   HEADQUARTERS;   HEAD- 
QUARTERS GOES  TO  HIM 

FORMER  Police  Lieutenant  Jerry  Tryon 
moved  away  from  the  hospital  bed  on  which 
lay  Jacques,  head  waiter  at  Bishop's.  He 
spoke  to  the  young  interne. 

"He  doesn't  seem  to  be  getting  better,"  he 
eaid. 

The  interne  looked  aggrieved. 

"Man,  dear,  don't  you  realize  that  it's  a 
wonder  he's  alive  at  all?  Nine  men  out  of 
ten,  after  receiving  the  blow  that  he  re- 
ceived, would  have  been  the  chief  features 
of  funerals." 

"But  it  doesn't  seem  natural,  him  lying 
there,  glassy-eyed,  able  to  understand  what 
we're  saying — you're  sure  of  that,  eh? — and 
not  able  to  say  a  word  or  even  to  wink  an 
eyelash."  m 

144 


LOOT  145 

For  the  dozenth  time  the  interne  patiently 
explained. 

"A  nerve  center  was  struck — at  the  base 
of  the  brain.  Paralysis  was  instant.  And 
men  aren't  cured  of  paralysis  in  a  couple  of 
days,  you  know.  It  may  be  months — it  may 
be  years  before  he  can  speak  or  move  a 
muscle.  One  can  never  tell  in  cases  like  this. 
He  may  be  all  right — that  is  to  say,  he  may 
be  able  to  communicate  by  signs — move  a 
finger,  you  know — by  next  week." 

"And  next  week '11  be  too  late,"  comment- 
ed Tryon. 

"Too  late  for  what?"  asked  the  interne 
curiously. 

"Oh,  nothing,"  said  Tryon.  "You're 
giving  him  the  best  treatment?  You're  not 
sparing  any  expense  ?" 

"Not  so  long  as  you'll  guarantee  his 
bills,"  replied  the  interne. 

"I'll  guarantee  'em  all  right.  [Wait  till 
you  hear  me  call  a  halt,"  growled  Tryon. 
"All  I  want  is  that  you'll  do  everything 
possible  and  let  me  know  the  second  he's 


146  LOOT 

able  to  move.  I  could  arrange  signals  with 
him  then,  all  right.  Mind,  day  or  night  I 
.want  to  know." 

"You  will,  Mr.  Tryon,"  promised  the  in- 
terne, and  the  ex-lieutenant  left  the  hospital. 

He  took  a  car,  down-town  and  went  to 
police  headquarters.  There  he  was  warmly 
welcomed  by  his  old  associates. 

"How's  the  spiritualist?"  demanded  De- 
tective Captain  Kenney.  "Seein'  any  mys- 
terious figures  wrapped  in  shrouds  these 
flays?" 

* '  LQuit  your  kidding ! ' '  said  Tryon.  * '  Any- 
thing new  on  that  French- waiter  case?" 

"Well,"  said  Kenney,  "there  must  be 
more  money  in  private  detectin'  than  down 
here,  at  that,  if  you're  so  pally  with  waiters 
at  a  place  like  Bishop's.  Suppose  you  can't 
eat  without  him  servin'  you.  Loads  of  class 
to  you,  Jerry." 

"Forget  it,"  counseled  Tryon.  "The  little 
man  was  simply  a  friend  of  mine.  Sure,  I 
eat  at  Bishop's  once  in  a  while  and  he  al- 
svays  saw  I  got  the  best.  I  liked  him.  Can't 


LOOT  147 

I  be  land  of  interested  in  finding  out  who 
bumped  him  off,  or  tried  to,  without  you 
'trying  to  be  funny?" 

"Sure  you  can!"  said  Kenney  heartily. 
"But  there  ain't  a  blessed  thing  that's  new. 
The  case  is  just  the  same.  Some  people 
came  into  Bishop's  late  [Monday  night;  it 
was  really  Tuesday  morning.  They  in- 
quired in  what  room  a  Mr.  Daly  was  dining. 
They  were  told.  They  said  he  expected 
them  and  went  right  up.  'A.  little  later  they 
came  down,  and  some  little  while  after  that 
Jacques  was  found  on  the  floor  of  the  pri- 
vate dining-room  where  this  Daly  guy  had 
been,  with  his  clothes  all  torn  apart,  like 
he'd  been  searched,  and  dead  to  the  world. 
Hone  of  Bishop's  employees  can  give  very 
good  descriptions  of  the  men  that  went  up- 
stairs. They  give  a  fair  description  of  the 
man  who  was  waiting  for  them,  the  Daly 
person. 

"And  we  located  the  chauffeur  that  drove 
Ihis  Daly  away  from  the  side  entrance  of 
[Bishop's  just  about  the  time  his  friends 


148  LOOT 

went  up-stairs.  The  chauffeur  swears  that 
Daly  told  him  to  drive  to  the  Pennsylvania 
^Station.  The  restaurant  porter  at  the  side 
'door  swears  to  the  same  thing.  The  chauf- 
feur claims  he  did  drive  Daly  where  he  was 
told.  And  there  Mr.  Daly  disappears — at 
the  Pennsylvania  Station.  [Whether  he  did 
the  work,  or  his  friends  that  came  up  later 
did  it,  doesn't  matter  much.  We  can't  lay 
hands  on  any  of  them.  Course  we've 
flashed  Daly's  description  wherever  we 
'thought  it  would  do  any  good,  but  there 
ain't  much  in  that,  Jerry,  as  you  know." 

"No,  there  isn't,"  agreed  Try  on  thought- 
fully. He  sighed.  "Well,  much  obliged  to 
you,  Captain.  If  anything  does  turn  up  in 
the  case  let  me  know,  will  you?" 

"Certain  sure,"  said  Kenney;  "  but  the 
Lord  only  knows  where  it'll  turn  up  from. 
The  little  Frenchman  didn't  seem  to  have 
any  enemies — not  that  his  neighbors  knew 
of,  at  any  rate.  He's  been  in  this  country 
four  years  and  worked  hard,  so  they  say. 


LOOT  149 

Bishop's  give  him  a  good  character.  If  he 
was  an  Italian^  now,  I'd  be  thinking  of  the 
Black  Hand;  but  there's  nothing  like  that 
among  the  Frenchies.  I  think  it  was  a  souse 
party,  myself,  and  they  rough-housed  the 
little  man  harder  than  they  meant. " 

"Maybe  so,"  said  Tryon.  "Well,  much 
obliged  again,  Captain.  So  long." 

He  passed  out  of  the  room  and  at  sight  of 
a  familiar  figure  in  the  hall  he  saluted. 

"Kot  forgotten  how,  have  you,  Tryon?" 
smiled  the  commissioner  of  police. 

"]STo,  Commissioner,"  said  Tryon.  "Sa- 
lutin*  you  comes  natural." 

"And  I  wish  that  seeing  you  were  more 
natural,  Tryon,"  said  the  commissioner. 
"Thinking  of  coming  back  to  us?  There's 
a  lieutenancy  still  waiting,  you  know.  We've 
missed  you.  Might  make  it  a  captaincy, 
eh?" 

1  With  a  roving  commission  to  capture  the 
jGrray  Ghost?"  demanded  Tryon. 

"Dear  me,  are  you  still  thinking  of  grave- 


150  LOOT     . 

yards?"  laughed  the  commissioner.  "Seri- 
ously, Try  on,  you  ought  to  drop  it.  There's 
BO  such  man,  no  such  individual." 

"That's  your  opinion,  Commissioner.  You 
don't  mind  my  keeping  mine?" 

"You're  no  longer  on  the  force,  Try  on," 
said  the  commissioner,  and  now  his  voice 
was  cold.  "If  you  wish  to  spoil  what  prom- 
ised to  be  a  most  brilliant  career  by  chasing 
a  chimera,  why — do  it.  When  you  can  for- 
get your  obsession;  when  a  crime  can  be 
committed  in  another  city  without  your 
making  this  department  a  laughing-stock  by 
announcing  that  you  see  the  eerie  fingers  of 
the  Gray  Ghost  in  it — come  back." 

"Yet  I  notice  that  this  department  is  will- 
ing to  lay  the  blame  of  certain  matters  on 
him  even  if  he  doesn't  exist,"  said  Try  on 
with  a  smile. 

"You  mean  that  when  the  department  is 
puzzled  by  a  case,  and  the  newspapers  at- 
tribute the  crime  to  the  Gray  Ghost,  this 
"department  doesn't  bother  to  deny  it,  don't 
you?" 


LOOT  151 

"Does  it  matter?"  queried  Try  on. 

"Indeed  it  does!  If  a  criminal  thinks 
we're  chasing  your  mythical  wraith  he  won't 
be  so  careful.  The  Gray  Ghost  is  a  good  her- 
ring to  draw  across  our  trail ;  but  that's  all." 

"And  I  still  maintain  that  he  is  a  real  per- 
son," asseverated  Try  on.  "And,  further- 
more, before  I  come  back  to  the  department 
you'll  admit  it,  Commissioner." 

"Well,"  and  the  commissioner  smiled 
rather  frostily,  "I'm  sorry  that  you're  never, 
coming  back,  Try  on.  .Good  morning." 

He  entered  Captain  Kenney's  room  and 
Tryon  made  his  way  down-stairs.  Lounging 
in  the  front  hall  of  the  building  were  several 
newspaper  men,  known  of  old  to  the  former 
lieutenant.  They  greeted  him  with  cheerful 
acclaim. 

"Lieut,"  cried  one,  "news  is  scarce.  Shoot 
us  something  about  the  Gray  Ghost.  Do 
you  see  his  fine  and  spooky  hand  in  any- 
thing that's  happened  recently?" 

"Come  on,  Lieut,"  pleaded  another.  "Is 
it  true  that  the  Gray  Ghost  has  planned  to 


152  LOOT 

loot  the  Treasury  at  Washington!  [What's 
the  straight  dope  on  it?" 

"Take  a  run,"  advised  Tryon,  grinning. 
"You  lads  may  string  me,  but  some  day — " 

Smiling  at  the  chaff:  they  hurled  at  him — 
he  had  been  a  general  favorite  when  with 
the  department  and  the  newspaper  men 
liked  him,  and  their  liking  was  returned — • 
he  walked  out  of  the  building.  But,  once  on 
the  street,  his  smile  left  him.  He  frowned 
and  was  still  frowning  when  he  entered  the 
two-room  office  on  lower  Broadway  on  the 
door  of  which  was  painted  the  sign : 

JEREMIAH   TRYOX 
Detective  Agency,  Inc. 

!&  young  man  much  younger  than  Tryon, 
with  the  manner  of  one  who  has  never 
known  what  it  is  to  struggle  against  misfor- 
tune's  buffets,  looked  up  from  the  chair  by 
the  window  of  the  inner  room,  where  he  sat, 
legs  crossed,  idly  smoking. 

"Cheer  up,  Jerry!"  he  said.  "Any  new 
developments?" 


LOOT  153 

"None,  Mr.  Pelham,"  said  Try  on. 

"Been  to  the  hospital?" 

"Uh-huh!  He's  just  the  same.  No  word 
to  be  got  from  him,  and  here  it  is  Thurs- 
day." 

"Well,  what  of  it?  You  can't  he  certain 
that  anything  is  going  to  happen  this  week, 
you  know.  Learn  anything  over  at  head- 
quarters?" 

"Nothing  more.  They  haven't  any  idea 
who  slugged  him.  Oh,  yes;  I  learned  that 
I'm  a  nut,  same  as  usual.  Brainerd  said 
I  could  have  my  job  back — offered  me  a 
captaincy — if  I'd  become  sane  and  forget 
about  the  Gray  Ghost." 

"What  did  you  tell  him?" 

"I'm  here,  ain't  I?" 

Young  Pelham  tossed  his  cigarette  into  a 
receiver. 

"Buck  up,  Jer !"  he  said.  "I'm  still  with 
you,  am  I  not?" 

"You  sure  are,  Mr.  Pelham,"  said  Tryon 
gravely.  "If  it  wasn't  for  you  and  your 


coin — " 


154  LOOT 

" Forget  the  coin.  You  and  I've  been 
friends  since  you  used  to  tramp  a  beat  in 
front  of  my  house.  When  I  told  you  that  I 
was  sick  of  doing  nothing  but  spend  the 
money  dad  left  me  you  proposed  that  I  back 
you  in  a  hunt  for  the  Gray  Ghost.  And 
though  the  newspapers  joked  you,  and 
though  you  told  me  that  even  your  friends 
In  the  police  department  thought  you  were 
a  bit  cracked  over  the  matter,  I  believed  in 
you.  I  believe  in  you  still." 

"I  appreciate  it,"  said  Try  on.  "But — 
you've  put  up  dollar  for  dollar  with  me,  Mr. 
Pelham.  Now  I've  about  reached  my  last 
dollar.  Taking  care  of  Jacques,  the  waiter, 
will  bust  me.  I  don't  know  as  I  ought  to  let 
you  dig  any  deeper.  Maybe  I  ought  to  ac- 
cept some  of  the  private  business  that's  of- 
fered me — or  go  back  to  the  force.  I  don't 
know." 

"And  give  up?  Just  because  a  French 
waiter  was  batted  on  the  bean?  I've  never 
stuck  to  anything  in  my  life.  I'm  going  to 


LOOT  155 

make  a  record;  I'm  going  to  stick  to  you  till 
the  Gray  Ghost  is  caught." 

"And  suppose  Brainerd  is  right?  Sup- 
pose that  all  my  dope  is  crazy  and  that  there 
isn't  any  such  person?'' 

"Then  the  drinks  will  be  on  you,  Jerry. 
But  that's  a  long  time  off — my  being  con- 
vinced that  youVe  been  wrong.  You've 
shown  it  to  be  a  hundred  times;  gone  over 
crimes  in  minutest  detail  to  prove  that  one 
brain  conceived  them  all.  I  believe  it  and 
I'm  with  you  till  the  bench  breaks.  As  to 
money — I'll  put  ten  thousand  to  the  com- 
pany's credit  this  very  day.  Does  that  en- 
courage you  ?  Now  then,  where  do  we  stand 
to-day?" 

"Same  as  yesterday;  same  as  Tuesday; 
same  as  Monday.  Jacques  can't  talk,  and 
whoever  the  woman  is — she  don't  make  a 
sign." 

"You're  sure  it  is  a  woman,  aren't  you? 
Jacques  wasn't  deceiving  you?" 

Tryon  unlocked  a  small  safe.    He  drew 


156  LOOT 

out  an  envelope  and  extracted  several  pieces 
of  paper  from  it. 

" There  they  are,"  he  said.  "Tell  me  a 
woman  didn't  typewrite  them!  I  know  a 
woman's  touch  on  a  machine.  And  why 
should  the  little  Frenchman  deceive  me?" 

' '  I  don 't  know, ' '  said  Pelham  vaguely.  ' '  I 
was  merely  figuring  it  out.  But  I  don't  sup- 
pose he  would.  No  reason  for  his  doing 
that." 

"Didn't  he — or  she — make  good?"  de- 
manded Tryon.  "Here's  the  first  note, 
dated  three  months  ago.  I  remember  the 
night  Jacques  handed  it  to  me.  I  got  a 
phone  message  to  step  into  Bishop's  that 
night  and  ask  for  table  six.  Tell  me  it 
'wasn't  a  woman's  voice!  I  know!  I  went 
there,  wondering  what  the  game  was.  The 
head  waiter  came  to  my  table  and  asked  me 
whether  I  was  Mr.  Tryon.  I  told  him  yes 
and  he  gave  me  this  note. 

"  'Hay  and  Grain  National,  Chicago,  to- 
night, '  was  all  it  said.  "When  I  asked  him  to 
explain  he  shrugged  his  shoulders.  He  tells 


LOOT  157 

me  that  if  I  ask  any  questions  I'll  kill  the 
goose  that's  laying  golden  eggs.  I  thought 
it  was  a  josh  of  some  sort  till  the  next  day, 
when  I  read  in  the  morning  papers  that  the 
Hay  and  Grain  National  Bank  of  Chicago 
had  been  looted  the  night  before — looted 
right  while  I  was  trying  to  pump  the  little 
Frenchman!  And  looted,  unless  I'm  the 
crazy  guy  the  conimish  and  others  think  me, 
by  the  Gray  Ghost's  gang !  I  know  his  work. 
He  did  it! 

"And  still  Jacques  won't  explain.  He 
Bays  that  if  I  try  to  make  him  tell  it  will 
result  in  my  getting  no  more  information. 
He  said  that  I  had  been  chosen  to  capture 
the  Gray  Ghost  because  of  my  well-known 
theories  about  him.  He  said  that  if  I 
weren't  content  to  work  in  the  dark  I'd  be 
'dropped  quick.  [Well,  you  know  how  we 
reasoned  it.  If  the  party  who  sent  that  note 
to  me  knew  of  the  Chicago  affair  before  it 
happened,  that  party  must  have  some  great 
dope  cooked  up  for  me,  and  I'd  get  it  sooner 
or  later.  And  when  Jacques  tells  me  that 


158  LOOT 

any  attempt  to  find  out  who's  slipping  him 
the  info  would  cause  all  bets  to  be  called  off 
I  give  him  my  word  not  to  try  to  find  out. 
And  I  have  kept  my  word,  too. 

"Here's  the  next  note,  dated  eight  weeks 
ago.  'Tielman's  Automobile  Factory,  De- 
troit.' We  know  what  happened  there  the 
very  night  this  note  was  handed  to  me.  The 
automobile  place  was  busted  into  and  the 
pay-roll — amounting  to  almost  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars — was  taken. 

"And  then  there  was  the  Memphis  affair 
and  the  Chattanooga  matter.  All  of  them 
Gray  Ghost  work,  or  I'm  a  Dutchman!  And 
gach  time  the  straight  dope  coming  to  me 
just  about  the  time  the  stunt  is  pulled,  too 
late  for  me  to  have  it  stopped.  It  wasn't 
"Gray.  Ghost  brag ;  I'm  dead  sure  of  that.  It 
was  somebody  on  the  inside  tipping  me  off 
merely  to  show  she  was  reliable.  That's 
what  it  was. 

* '  Then,  four  weeks  ago  I  get  a  line :  '  New 
York  next!'  That's  all.  Two  weeks  ago 
[Jacques  hands  me  another  note.  'Within  a 


LOOT  159 

fortnight,'  it  said.  Last  Sunday  night  an- 
other said:  'During  the  coming  week.' 
Monday  morning  some  one  telephones  me 
and  tells  me  to  drop  into  Bishop's  twice  a 
day  after  this.  That's  all  the  voice  said.  I 
went  up  there  Monday  evening  about  six. 
Jacques  hands  me  a  note.  'By  Thursday  at 
the  latest,'  it  says. 

"I  know  better  than  to  try  to  pump  him, 
but  I  ask  him  if  I'll  be  wanted  again.  I'd 
been  there  once  before,  at  noon.  He  tells  me 
no,  but  to  keep  in  readiness.  He  says  that 
the  minute  the  time  is  ripe  I'll  get  the  whole 
works  and  I'll  land  the  man  I'm  after. 

"  'The  Gray  Ghost,'  says  I. 

"And  for  the  first  time  he  really  slips  me 
something,  himself.  'The  writer  of  those 
notes,  monsieur,  without  doubt  has  impor- 
tant knowledge  that  it  is  intended  monsieur 
shall  have.  I  advise  monsieur  to  sleep  in  his 
office;  not  to  leave  it  save  for  his  trips  up 
bere,  so  as  to  be  in  readiness  if  the  call 
comes.' 

"It  was  a  cinch  that  it  was  intended  to 


160  LOOT 

pass  me  the  good  word  before  to-day.  And 
then,  that  same  night,  Jacques  is  slugged 
and — I  can  get  nothing.  Can  you  wonder, 
with  something  big  in  readiness  to  be  pulled 
— it  must  be  big  and  the  Gray  Ghost  himself 
must  be  in  on  it — that  I  feel  like  quitting? 
Never  got  a  thing  on  him  myself  in  the  year 
you've  been  backing  me.  Spent  my  savings 
and  made  you  dig  into  your  roll.  Ready  to 
quit  and  admit  I'm  a  sucker  for  thinking  I 
can  ever  lay  my  hands  on  him,  and  then  he's 
delivered  into  my  clutches.  And  then  he 
slips  out!  For  it's  a  cinch  that  the  Gray 
Ghost  tumbled  to  the  double-cross  being 
handed  him  and — Jacques  is  the  one  who 
has  paid  the  penalty.  Maybe  the  woman, 
too.  Oh,  I'm  a  fool !  I  could  have  got  some 
slick  shadow  to  look  after  Jacques ;  I  might 
have  figured  that  no  French  waiter  could 
hand  the  Gray  Ghost  the  toss,  with  any 
woman  to  help  him!  But  if  I'd  protected 
the  little  man — 

"Mr.  Pelham,  maybe  I'm  a  nut  after  all. 
This  evidence  wouldn't  make  you  think  so, 


LOOT  161 

though,  would  it?  This  evidence  makes  it 
seem  certain  that  there  is  a  Gray  Ghost  and 
that  I  was  on  the  way  to  land  him.  But  now 
the  little  Frenchman  is  d.  and  o.  I  don't 
hear  from  the  woman — " 

He  stopped  suddenly  as  the  telephone 
rang.  He  leaped  to  the  instrument  and  held 
the  receiver  to  his  ear.  Pelham  watched 
him.  Over  the  ex-lieutenant's  face  came  an 
expression  of  incredulity. 

"And  you'll  give  me  complete  charge? 
I'll  be  right  over." 

He  slammed  the  telephone  on  the  desk 
and  turned  to  Pelham,  with  eyes  ablaze. 

"It's  Brainerd — the  commissioner.  The 
biggest  thing  that  ever  happened  on  Man- 
hattan Island!  The  thing  that  I'd  have 
squelched  if  the  little  Frenchman  had 
played  it  safer." 

"You  mean  the  Gray  Ghost — >" 

"Brainerd  doesn't  say  so;  but  he  says 
that  he's  agreeing  with  me  at  last !  He  says 
that  no  one  but  a  genius  could  have  pulled 
this  trick.  'Call  him  the  Gray  Ghost  or 


162  LOOT 

what  you  will,'  lie  says  to  me.  'Come  get 
himi'  he  says.  'If  he  isn't  the  Gray  Ghost 
he  might  as  well  be,  for  he's  done  the  big- 
gest thing  that  ever  was  done/ 

"Full  powers  over  every  detective  on  the 
Island  he's  given  me.  And  all  the  earmarks 
of  preparation,  of  organization,  that  have 
made  the  Gray  Ghost  what  he  is  are  there ! 
And  Brainerd  has  come  to  me!" 

"But  what's  he  done?"  cried  Pelham. 

"Done?"  cried  Tryon.  "Done!  He's 
looted  Arabin's — that's  what  he's  done!" 


.CHAPTER  X 

LOOT 

AT  PEECISELT  ten  on  Thursday  morning, 
as  lie  had  done  every  business  day — annual 
vacations,  trips  in  the  interest  of  the  con- 
cern, and  rare  illnesses  causing  the  only  ex- 
ceptions— James  F.  Arabin,  president  and 
practically  sole  owner  of  one  of  the  greatest 
jewelry  houses  in  the  world,  passed  through 
the  front  entrance  of  his  establishment.  He 
exchanged  a  pleasant  good  morning  with  the 
jebony  attendant  at  the  door,  nodded  in 
'friendly  fashion  to  what  clerks  caught  hia 
eye,  and  strode,  majestic  in  well-cut  frock 
coat  and  silk  hat,  and  bland  and  serene  with 
his  mutton-chop  whiskers,  along  aisles  bor- 
'dered  by  show  cases  that  held  the  wealth  of  a 
pirate's  dream,  to  the  private  offices  that 
occupied  one  corner — the  corner  most  re- 

163 


164  LOOT 

mote  from  the  side  street  at  whose  confluence 
with  the  avenue  Arabin's  was  situated — of 
the  first  floor. 

A  pretty  stenographer  in  the  outer  room 
of  the  double  suite  blushed  as  he  stopped 
short  and  stared  at  her  with  mock  amaze- 
ment. 

".What!"  he  exclaimed.  "Another  day 
gone  and  no  bold  man  has  run  off  with  you  ? 
My,  my!  Miss  Leonard,  what's  happened  to 
the  youth  of  this  generation?  [Why,  if  I 
were  thirty  years  younger — if  I  were  twenty 
years  younger —  By  George !  If  old  Father 
Time  would  set  the  clock  back  only  ten  years 
—  Well,  well,  well!" 

He  shook  his  head  solemnly,  as  though 
greatly  puzzled,  and  walked  into  the  inner 
office.  The  pretty  Miss  Leonard  dimpled, 
colored  some  more  and  wondered  how  soon 
a  certain  young  man  would  screw  his  cour- 
age to:  the  proposing  point.  She  would 
wager  something  that  Mr.  Arabin  would  do 
the  handsome  thing  by  way  of  a  wedding 
gift!  It  would  be  odd  If  he  did  not;  for, 


LOOT  165 

'despite  the  fact  that  captious  critics  poked 
fun  at  his  whiskers,  at  his  pomposity,  at  his 
love  of  publicity,  there  was  no  one  among  his 
employees  who  did  not  know  that  old  Ar- 
abin's  heart  was  as  golden  as  the  choicest  of 
his  wares. 

"Good  morning,  Williams,"  said  Arabin 
to  his  private  secretary. 

Williams  looked  up  from  his  desk  in  a 
corner  of  the  room  and  returned  his  em- 
ployer's greeting. 

"No  word  from  Carlow  yet?"  asked  Ar- 
abin. 

"Nothing,  sir." 

"And  it  is  now  nearly  two  weeks  since  we 
cabled  him,"  said  Arabin.  He  sat  down  at 
his  desk  and  pursed  his  lips.  ' l  Oh,  well ;  he  ?s 
probably  written  by  now  and  we'll  hear 
shortly.  Anything  of  especial  importance 
In  the  mail?" 

He  always  asked  this  question  and  always 
[Williams  made  the  same  reply. 

"I've  marked  those  I  thought  needed  your 
attention,  sir,"  said  the  secretary. 


166  LOOT 

Arabin  picked  up  the  letters  on  his  desk, 
each  marked  with  a  blue  cross,  and  stared  at 
them  a  moment.  Then,  as  though  he  had 
just  thought  of  it,  he  rose  and  walked  swift- 
ly to  the  safe  against  one  wall.  He  bent  over 
it  and  worked  at  the  combination,  which  he 
alone  knew  and  which  was  not  committed  to 
paper.  If  Arabin  were  ill  or  should  die  the 
safe  could  be  opened  only  by  mechanics — • 
had  the  jeweler  failed  to  tell  the  combina- 
tion. 

Thus  far  Arabin  had  acted  on  schedule ;  so 
had  "Williams.  Habit  is  a  mighty  thing  and 
the  jeweler  was  its  creature.  Always  he 
made  some  jocose  remark  to  the  stenog- 
rapher in  the  outer  room ;  always  he  picked 
up  his  letters  as  though  intending  to  read 
them  at  once,  and  always  he  put  them  down 
hastily  and  walked  over  to  his  private  safe. 
It  was  the  container  of  his  private  papers, 
but  it  also  held  cash ;  and  to-day  it  held  the 
'Carlow  necklace. 

This  was  another  of  Arabin 's  habits.  If 
his  firm  had  designed  ^  anything  of  great 


LOOT  167 

beauty  he  wanted  it  near  him  as  long  as 
possible.  Usually  it  held  one  or  more  trink- 
ets that  he  loved  to  fondle  and  from  which 
he  parted  with  regret.  The  Caiiow  neck- 
lace, worth  a  fabulous  sum,  should  have  been 
in  the  vaults  down-stairs,  but  Arabin  always 
pooh-poohed  the  idea  that  his  establishment 
could  be  robbed. 

"If  they  can  get  in  at  all,"  he  was  wont  to 
say,  "I'd  just  as  soon  have  all  my  stuff  right 
in  the  show  cases,  handy  for  them  to  cart 
away;  because  no  burglar  can  ever  get  in! 
And  if  he  does  get  in — well,  I  guess  the  auto- 
matic alarms  will  attend  to  him— or  them." 

So,  since  the  last  bit  of  the  design  had 
been  made  and  the  last  matched  and  gradu- 
ated jewel  set  in  it,  the  Carlow  necklace  had 
reposed  days  and  nights  in  the  safe  in  the 
private  office,  where  Arabin  could  look  at  it, 
play  with  it,  admire  it.  Of  course  Arabin  *s 
vaults  down-stairs  were  the  finest  in  the 
world,  possibly.  They  were  flooded  with 
light  at  night;  they  were  electrically  con- 
nected with  a  private  detective  agency.  And 


168  LOOT 

in  those  vaults  reposed  at  night — and  during 
the  daytime  too — the  bulk  of  the  Arabin 
valuables.  But  the  safe  in  the  private  office 
would  have  resisted  dynamite.  The  best 
burglar  on  earth,  with  the  best  appliances, 
and  with  a  gallon  or  several  gallons  of  nitro- 
glycerin,  could  not  have  broken  it  open  in- 
side of  twelve  hours.  [Moreover  it,  too,  was 
electrically  connected  with  the  detective 
agency. 

Save  for  its  lack  of  bulk,  this  private  safe 
would  have  been  as  good  a  depository  as  the 
yaults  down-stairs.  Arabin  had  never  felt 
any  nervousness  about  it.  He  bent  over  it 
now,  humming  a  little  tune  to  himself.  Ac- 
cording to  schedule  he  would  open  the  front 
door,  take  a  swift  glance  at  whatever  eye- 
entrancing  trinket  was  there — the  Carlow 
necklace  to-day — then  return  to  his  desk  and 
attend  to  his  mail.  The  whole  business, 
timed  by  Williams  a  hundred  times,  never 
took  less  than  forty  minutes.  And  it  was  a 
rule  of  the  establishment  that  neither  Mr. 
Arabin  nor  his  secretary  was  to  be  dis- 


LOOT  169 

turbed,  for  any  cause  short  of  fire  or  an 
earthquake,  for  at  least  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  after  the  jeweler  had  entered  his  pri- 
vate office.  After  that,  when  his  mail  had 
been  attended  to,  he  would  receive  the  heads 
of  departments,  salesmen,  buyers. 

As  the  small  but  heavy  door  of  the  safe 
swung  open,  things  ceased  to  happen  ac- 
cording to  time-honored  schedule.  Some- 
thing wet  and  odorous  fell  between  the  face 
of  Mr.  Arabin  and  the  open  safe.  A  knee 
was  pressed  into  the  small  of  his  back ;  an 
arm  went  beneath  his  chin,  bending  it  up- 
ward ;  a  hand  pressed  the  chloroform-soaked 
cloth  tightly  against  his  nostrils.  The 
jeweler  did  not  struggle  long;  he  was  fleshy 
and  soft  of  muscle.  .Williams  let  him  gently 
to  the  floor,  with  the  cloth  still  lying  across 
his  face. 

From  inside  his  own  desk  the  secretary 
brought  a  small  silken  bag.  Into  it  he 
swiftly  put  the  Carlow  necklace  and  what 
money  he  found  in  the  safe.  He  worked 
calmly,  methodically,  with  no  indication  of 


170  LOOT 

haste.  A  swift  glance  assured  him  that  the 
figure  of  Arabin  was  not  visible,  would  not 
be  visible,  from  the  door.  Leisurely,  carry- 
ing a  sealed  and  addressed  envelope  that  he 
took  from  his  desk,  he  passed  into  the  outer 
office. 

"An  errand  for  Mr.  Arabin,  Miss  Leon- 
ard," he  said,  smiling  pleasantly  at  the  girl. 
"Bather  important,  I  judge.  At  least  he 
didn't  care  to  trust  an  ordinary  messenger. 
!Mr.  Arabin  thinks  highly  of  you,  Miss  Leon- 
ard." 

"Oh,  thank  gou,  Mr.  [Williams!"  bridled 
the  girl. 

She  took  the  letter,  noted  that  it  bore  a 
!Pine  Street  address,  put  on  her  hat  and  coat 
and  left  the  office.  "Williams  smiled.  It 
would  take  Miss  Leonard  at  least  half  an 
hour  to  reach  Pine  Street  and  discover  that 
there  was  no  such  firm  or  address  as  those 
indicated  on  the  envelope.  If  she  telephoned 
for  instructions  then — •  "Williams'  smile 
broadened. 

He  pressed  a  button  on  the  wall  and  a  uni- 


LOOT  171 

formed  boy  at  once  responded.  Williams 
received  him  in  the  outer  office. 

"Tell  Mr.  MacDonald  that  Mr.  Arabia 
wishes  to  see  him  at  once.  Mind,  at  once!" 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  the  boy,  and  sped  away. 

Three  minutes  later  the  superintendent  of 
the  vaults,  a  rawboned  Scotchman,  entered 
the  outer  office.  Williams  carefully  closed 
the  door. 

"Mr.  Arabin  wants  me  ?"  demanded  Mac- 
Donald. 

Williams  nodded  carelessly. 

"Inside,"  he  said. 

He  preceded  the  superintendent  to  the 
inner  door,  then  stepped  aside.  MacDonald 
Opened  the  door ;  something  swished  through 
the  air,  struck  heavily  at  the  base  of  the 
Scotchman's  brain,  and  MacDonald  pitched 
forward  into  the  inner  office.  Williams 
stepped  after  him  and  closed  the  door.  He 
]bent  over  the  fallen  superintendent.  It  was 
not  necessary  to  use  the  blackjack  again. 
MacDonald  would  be  a  very  lucky  man  if 
he  spoke  or  moved  for  twenty-four  hours. 


172  LOOT 

The  secretary  seemed  to  know  exactly  in 
which  pocket  ..the  prostrate  superintendent 
kept  a  bunch  of  keys  and  where  he  kept  cer- 
tain papers  on  which  were  written  figures, 
combinations  of  the  various  vaults  down- 
stairs. Swiftly,  silently,  Williams  possessed 
himself  of  these.  Again  he  stepped  into  the 
outer,  office,  this  time  taking  with  him  the 
stuffed  silken  bag,  which  he  placed  on  Miss 
Leonard's  desk,  dropping  an  open  news- 
paper over  it. 

He  had  hardly  done  so  when  a  knock 
sounded  on  the  door.  He  opened  it,  to  face 
the  boy  who  had  summoned  MacDonald. 

"Two  gentlemen  to  see  Mr.  Arabin,  sir," 
said  the  boy.  ' 1 1  told  them  it  was  impossible 
for  at  least  half  an  hour,  but  they  showed  me 
their  cards,  sir;  and  I  thought  maybe — " 

He  handed  Williams  two  cards,  which 
bore  the  imprint  of  the  detective  agency  that 
protected  Arabin 's  from  burglarious  assault. 

"You  did  well,  Johnny,"  said  Williams 
approvingly.  "But  be  very  careful  not  to 
mention  where  these  gentlemen  came  from. 


LOOT  173 

Let  it  be  a  secret  between  you  and  myself. 
I  '11  explain  it  later.  Show  them  in. ' ' 

"Yes,  sir;  and  a-course  I  won't  say; 
nothin',"  said  the  boy.. 

,Williams  smiled.  He  had  measured 
'Johnny  very  carefully  and  knew  that  the 
boy  would  say  nothing ;  and  it  did  not  matter 
greatly  if  he  did.  He  received  the  two 
callers  blandly  and  motioned  them  to  seats. 
'Johnny  closed  the  door  and  departed. 

The  secretary  uttered  not  a  single  word, 
nor  did  his  callers.  [Williams  took  out  his 
watch.  He  held  its  face  toward  the  two  men 
and  they  produced  their  watches.  All  showed 
exactly  the  same  time  and  Williams  nodded. 
He  lighted  a  cigar  and  smoked  half  an  inch 
of  it  before  he  made  a  move.  Then  he  looked 
at  his  watch  again,  nodded,  and  to  one  of  the 
visitors  he  passed  the  keys  he  had  taken 
from  MacDonald,  and  to  the  other  the  slips 
of  paper.  There  was  perspiration  on  their 
faces,  but  not  on  his.  He  was  calm — > 
'debonair  even.  He  rang  the  bell  and  Johnnyj 
appeared  again. 


174  LOOT 

"Show  these  gentlemen  to  the  vaults, 
Johnny,"  he  said.  "Tell  Mulready  and 
Johnson  I  sent  them  down  and  that  they  are 
to  be  admitted  inside  the  outer  gate.  Mr. 
MacDonald  will  be  down  in  a  few  minutes. 
And,  Johnny,  come  right  back,  as  there  is 
something  I  wish  you  to  do." 

" Trust  you  don't  find  anything,  gentle- 
men, "said  he  then  to  the  visitors.  *  *  Mr.  Ar- 
abin  and  I  shall  await  your  examination 
with  interest." 

He  nodded  and  they  departed  in  the  wake 
of  Johnny.  Two  minutes  later  the  boy  re- 
turned, to  find  TVilliams  still  in  the  outer 
office. 

"Johnny,"  said  Williams,  "I  want  you  to 
round  up  all  the  store  detectives  on  this 
Boor  and  on  the  second  floor.  You  know 
them  all?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Johnny  breathlessly. 

"Go  up-stairs  first  and  speak  to  each  man 
quietly.  Tell  each  one  that  Mr.  Arabin 
wants  him  at  once.  Then  go  about  this  floor. 


LOOT  175 

Do  it  quietly,  but  do  it  quickly.  Under- 
stand?" 

".Gee,  yesl"  breathed  Johnny.  "Is  there 
sumpin  on,  Mr.  Williams  ?  Sumpin  big  ? ' ' 

"No  questions,  Johnny,"  said  Williams 
sternly.  "I  rely  on  you,  you  know.  Later 
you  and  111  have  a  little  talk." 

"Yes,  sir;  yes,  sir,"  said  the  ecstatic1 
'Johnny. 

There  was  some  mystery  in  the  air  and* the 
boss'  private  secretary  knew  enough  to  trust 
Johnny  McEntoe  to  help  him  out.  It  was 
a  proud  boy  that  obeyed  Williams'  orders. 

Within  a  minute  the  store  detectives,  won- 
dering, began  starting  for  the  private  office. 
^Within  five  minutes,  so  quickly  had  Johnny 
rounded  them  up  and  so  imperative  had  he 
made  his  quiet  message,  all  those  employed 
to  guard  the  first  and  second  floors,  twenty 
in  all,  were  in  the  private  office,  the  outer 
One,  shuffling  their  feet,  coughing  deprecat- 
ingly  behind  their  hands,  using  handker- 
chiefs, each  one  nervous,  wondering  whether 


176  LOOT 

lie  had  been  called  here  for  some  unexpected 
censure.  The  secretary  stared  from  one  to 
another  sternly,  accusingly.  The  most  inno- 
cent men  become  nervous  under  such  scru- 
tiny;. Blushes  and  perspiration  ruled.  Will- 
iams cleared  his  throat. 

" Gentlemen,"  he  said  sternly,  "I  believe 
there  is  a  plan  on  foot  to  rob  this  store  to- 
day." 

"What!"  Half  a  dozen  ejaculated  the 
word;  the  others  started,  but  stared  in 
silence. 

"I  have  very  good  reason  to  believe  so," 
said  Williams,  "and  so  has  Mr.  Arabin.  He 
wishes  to  question  each  man  of  you  alone,  for 
he  has  reason  to  believe  that  one  among  you, 
at  least,  is  implicated  in  the  plan." 

Dumb  confusion  and  amazement  reigned 
among  them.  Williams  continued: 

"Naturally  I  am  not  taking  any  chances 
with  Mr.  Arabin 's  life.  If  he  should  elicit 
proof  from  one  of  you  that  he  is  concerned 
in  the  plot,  that  one  might  think  it  possible 
to  escape ;  might  shoot  Mr.  Arabin  in  the  at- 


LOOT  177 

tempt  to  do  so.  I  prefer  that  you  go  un- 
armed into  his  presence.  If  there  is  any; 
man  among  you  who  is  unwilling  to  sur- 
render his  revolver  to  me,  let  him  say  so. 
And  let  the  rest  of  you  disarm  him  at  once, 
for  he  is  the  guilty  man.  [You  will  kindly 
place  your  revolvers  on  this  desk.  You, 
Phinny,  unless — " 

Phinney,  the  man  nearest  the  desk,  gasp- 
ed, started  and  immediately  placed  his  re- 
volver on  the  desk.  Williams  swiftly  ejected, 
the  shells  and  placed  them  in  his  pocket. 

"You,  Deering!"  he  said  sharply. 

One  by  one,  crowding  one  another  lest  lag- 
gardness  be  taken  as  a  sign  of  guilt,  they 
placed  their  weapons  on  the  desk;  and 
Williams  ejected  the  shells. 

"I'm  taking  no  chances  that  the  guilty 
man  get  hold  of  his  gun  again,"  he 
said;  "so  I'm  making  them  useless.  But  I 
have  my  own  weapon."  He  took  an  auto- 
matic pistol  from  his  pocket.  "It  looks  as 
though  none  of  you  is  guilty,  and  yet  I  am 
certain  there  is  a  plot,  though  all  of  you  have 


178  LOOT 

surrendered  jour  guns.  Yes,  I  am  certain 
of  it." 

He  opened  the  outer,  door  and  peered 
through  it.  He  turned  back. 

"Yes,"  he  said;  "so  absolutely  certain 
that  you  might  call  it  exact  knowledge.  So 
certain  that  IVe  rounded  you  all  up  where 
you  can't  interfere!" 

From  beneath  the  newspaper  he  snatched 
the  silken  bag.  He  leaped  to  the  door,  cover- 
ing the  amazed  and  disarmed  detectives  with 
his  pistol. 

"If  one  of  you  moves — " 

Then  he  was  through  the  doorway  and 
they  heard  the  lock  click.  There  came  an 
amazed  bellow  from  their  throats ;  then  they 
hurled  themselves  on  the  door.  But  it  was 
of  stoutest  oak,  and  it  held.  And  there  were 
no  windows  in  the  private  offices.  An  over- 
head skylight — the  building  was  but  one 
story  high  in  this  corner — afforded  light  and 
ventilation,  and  that  was  fourteen  feet  high. 
The  partitions  that  separated  the  rooms 
from  the  main  floor  were  solid  and  strong. 


LOOT  179 

It  would  take  a  long  time  to  break  them 
down.  And  the  other  walls  were  those  that 
adjoined  the  next  buildings,  and  they  were 
almost  cannon-proof,  built  to  resist  any  sty 
burglarious  tunneling.  The  men  were 
trapped ! 

Outside,  on  the  main  floor,  the  other  em- 
ployees of  Arabin's  were  in  no  better  case. 
There  were  twenty  counters,  topped  with 
show  cases,  on  the  floor.  Behind  each  of 
these  were  at  least  two  clerks,  in  some  in- 
stances three.  And  at  each  of  these  counters 
had  stood  a  well-dressed  customer  who,  at 
the  moment  Williams  had  looked  through 
the  doorway,  had  flashed  an  automatic  pistol 
and  cried  the  ancient  command:  " Hands 
lip!" 

A  clerk  at  the  watch  counter  hurled  the 
timepiece  his  customer  had  been  looking  at 
'directly  at  the  muzzle  of  the  threatening 
Weapon.  The  bandit  dodged ;  the  clerk  went 
down,  with  a  bullet  through  his  chest.  The 
example,  the  cry  of  the  clerk  and  the  wicked 
spat  of  the  automatic  were  enough.  The 


180  LOOT 

frightened  employees  noted  that  the  detec- 
tives were  gone  from  the  floor.  They  cowed 
before  the  muzzles  of  the  automatics.  Then 
Williams  ran  down  the  aisle,  a  gun  in  his 
hand.  And  an  outside  aisle  clerk,  running 
toward  him  for  help,  was  shot  as  he  came ! 

IWilliams  gained  the  center  aisle,  and 
those  who  had  known  him  as  the  soft-spoken 
private  secretary  to  the  jeweler  could  hard- 
ly recognize  him  now,  for  his  mouth  was 
contorted  in  a  wicked  sneer.  He  mounted  a 
chair.  In  the  presence  of  his  weapon,  which 
somehow  seemed  much  more  menacing  than 
the  score  of  other  automatics  that  threat- 
ened, the  clerks  were  silent  and  the  custom- 
ers stilled  their  cries  of  alarm. 

"Employees  will  line  up  against  the  rear 
wall  I ' '  cried  Williams.  ' i  All  customers  will 
line  up  against  the  right-hand  wall.  Those 
who  do  not  start  instantly  will  be  shot  at 
once!" 

A  woman  shrieked  and  collapsed  in  a 
faint.  The  negro  guardian  of  the  main  en- 
trance, who  had  stood  stock-still  in  amaze- 


LOOT  181 

ment  from  the  moment  of  the  first  shot, 
loosed  a  mighty  yell  and  sprang  through  the 
.doorway.  He  gained  the  top  step,  staggered, 
spun  round  and  pitched  back  into  the  room. 
He  had  been  shot  from  outside. 

There  was  not  a  semblance  of  protest  now. 
The  clerks  fairly  ran  to  line  up  against  the 
]back  wall  and  the  shoppers  fought  to  be  the 
'first  to  reach  the  side  wall.  Two  men  at  once 
Stood,  guns  in  hands,  before  the  clerks.  An- 
other pair  stood  before  the  dazed  patrons  of 
ihe  store.  Sixteen  other  men  produced  sacks 
^—silken  sacks  that,  though  stout,  had  been 
easily  hidden  beneath  their  coats — and  the 
work  of  ransacking  the  show  cases  began. 

Two  men,  those  who  had  posed  as  detec- 
tives, appeared  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  that 
led  to  the  vaults,  each  staggering  beneath  a 
bulky  silk  sack.  Straight  down  the 'main 
aisle  these  two  men  passed. 

"Everything  all  right?"  asked  [Williams 
as  they  passed  him. 

"Just  where  you  said  they'd  be,"  grinned 
one  of  them. 


182  LOOT 

The  other,  more  surly,  grunted: 

"Wish  we'd  been  able  to  get  more." 

"You  have  enough,"  grinned  Williams. 

They  passed  by  him,  and  went  out  through 
the  main  entrance.  A  man  entered  as  they 
left.  His  face  worked  with  excitement  and 
the  sweat  rolled  from  it. 

"Crowd  running  for  help!"  he  said  to 
[Williams.  ' 1 Haven 't  we  got  enough ? ' ' 

Williams  glanced  at  the  nearest  workers. 
The  show  cases  were  practically  denuded. 

"Never  mind  that  silver  I"  he  eried,  and  a 
man  instantly  dropped  the  massive  silver 
dish  he  carried.  "Never  mind  any  morel" 
cried  Williams.  "This  way." 

Like  trained  soldiers  the  men  ceased  work. 
(Due  of  the  two  men  who  had  been  guarding 
the  employees  rasped  an  oath  up  the  stairs 
leading  to  the  second  floor.  His  circling 
automatic  had  kept  the  unarmed  clerks  up- 
stairs from  making  a  rush,  but  one  of  them 
ventured  too  near  now.  A  bullet  drove  him 
back. 
.  The  men  with  the  sacks  debouched  from 


LOOT  183 

side  aisles  into  the  main  aisles.  Above  the 
racket  that  came  now  from  up-stairs,  from 
the  private  office,  where  the  tricked  store  de- 
tectives had  improvised  a  battering-ram  out 
of  a  desk,  and  from  the  street,  Williams' 
orders  sounded  clear. 

The  men  with  the  sacks  rushed  through 
the  entrance.  The  last  of  them  passed 
through  as  a  perfect  cataract  of  shouts 
Sounded  from  outside.  Williams  barked  an- 
other order.  The  four  men  who  guarded 
.clerks  and  customers  backed  down  the  aisles 
toward  the  entrance.  Dazed  by  their  ruth- 
lessness,  their  apparent  willingness  to  fire, 
by  the  absence  of  the  store  detectives,  by 
the  bewildering  defection  of  Williams,  the 
employees,  even  though  only  four  armed 
men  instead  of  more  than  a  score  faced  them 

now,  made  no  rush. 
i 

As  for  the  customers — it  was  not  their 
loss.  They  considered  themselves  lucky  not 
lo  have  suffered  the  fate  of  the  rash  clerk 
behind  a  counter,  the  clerk  who  had  run  to 
Williams  for  aid,  and  the  negro  attendant 


184:  LOOT 

at  the  door.  The  four  men  gained  the  door. 
Williams  motioned  them  through.  They; 
went.  Like  a  good  general  he  was  last  in  re- 
treat as  first  in  advance.  No,  not  like  a  gen- 
eral ;  like  a  field  officer.  Generals  nowadays 
remain  far  behind  the  firing  line,  directing 
operations.  Williams  was  but  the  field  com- 
mander. The  real  general  who  had  planned 
this  action  was  some  miles  from  its  scene. 

"Get  him!  Get  him!"  cried  a  clerk,  now 
that  Williams  was  alone. 

He  made  a  step  forward,  then  dodged 
hastily  as  Williams'  gun  lifted.  He  shrank 
back  among  his  fellows.  Williams  laughed 
loudly.  He  turned  and  disappeared  through 
the  doorway.  A  moment  later  and  the  mob 
of  clerks  fought  to  be  first  through  it,  but  the 
iron  gate  beyond  the,  door  had  clanged  to 
and  was  securely  locked.  They  could  only 
rave  impotently  at  the  automobiles  dashing 
up  and  down  the  avenue  and  disappearing 
round  corners. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  GRAY  GHOST  '&  HANDIWORK 

As  JAMES  F.  ARABIN  had  entered  his  es- 
tablishment the  clock  on  the  Metropolitan 
Tower,  some  blocks  south,  had  struck  ten. 
Also,  the  watches  of  a  dozen  men  who  rode 
in  limousines  and  touring  cars  were  put 
hastily  into  waistcoat  pockets,  and  the  driv- 
ers of  the  cars  were  given  orders.  At  the 
same  moment  four  huge  motor  trucks  turned 
toward  the  Avenue — two  from  the  avenue 
east  of  it  and  two  from  the  one  west.  One 
from  each  of  those  avenues  headed  toward 
each  other  along  a  cross  street  five  blocks 
south  of  Arabia's  jewelry  establishment. 
The  other  pair  advanced  to  meet  each  other 
along  a  street  five  blocks  north  of  Arabia's 
place.  It  was  a  peculiar  thing  that  each 
chauffeur  should  have  found  something  the 

185 


186  LOOT 

matter  with  Ms  car  and  been  compelled  to 
halt  only  a  door  from  the  Avenue. 

The  dozen  limousines  and  touring  cars, 
from  as  many  different  points  of  the  com- 
pass, began  to  converge  on  Arabin's.  Six 
of  them  reached  the  jewelry  concern  and 
halted  before  it.  It  was  not  an  unusual 
sight.  Often  scores  of  cars  were  drawn  up 
before  Arabin's.  It  was  rather  odd,  how- 
ever, that  all  of  them  should  fail  to  shut  off 
their  engines.  However,  it  was  not  odd 
enough  to  excite  attention  then. 

In  fact,  the  gathering  of  the  cars  caused 
no  remark  until  four  of  the  six  passengers, 
leaping  to  the  ground,  drew  weapons  and 
halted  the  passers-by  in  both  directions.  The 
other  two  men  left  their  machines  by  "the 
street  door.  Weapons  in  hand  they  halted 
the  stream  of  automobiles  and  carriages  and 
turned  them  back.  It  was  not  hard  to  do. 
The  drivers  and  occupants  of  the  carriages 
and  cars  might  have  been  brave  enough,  but 
a  man  needs  to  know  for  what  he  is  fighting, 
when  the  two  men,  one  advancing  north 


LOOT  187 

and  one  south,  each  fired  his  automatic  above 
the  heads  of  the  people  he  threatened,  there 
was  evidenced  a  marked  haste  to  get  out  of 
the  way.  In  panic-stricken  droves  they  fled, 
north,  south,  and  to  east  and  west  along  the 
cross  streets,  screaming,  most  of  them, 
loudly  for  the  police. 

Faster  than  they,  however,  fled  the  car- 
riages and  automobiles.  In  almost  no  time 
there  was  a  cleared  space — cleared  of  ve- 
hicles, that  is — for  half  a  dozen  blocks  in 
each  direction  from  Arabia's  along  the  Ave- 
nue. It  was  precisely  then  that  the  four 
dray  chauffeurs  started  across  the  Avenue. 
Each  dray  paused  when  it  had  gone  half- 
way. Their  drivers  descended,  monkeyed  a 
moment  with  the  engines,  and  quietly  saunt- 
ered off.  Approach  to  Arabia's  by  car  was 
effectually  cut  off  along  Fifth  Avenue,  for 
the  huge  drays  completely  blocked  the  street. 

Three  blocks  above  Arabin's,  Policeman 
Grogan  was  attracted  by  the  cries  of  excited 
foot  passengers,  the  yells  of  the  held-up  and 
turned-round  vehicles,  and  the  spat  of  a 


188  LOOT 

shot;  but  as  he  started  to  run  toward  the 
place  of  commotion  an  auto  pulled  up  along- 
side the  curb. 

"  Jump  in,  officer,"  called  the  man  in  the 
tonneau,  swinging  wide,  the;  door,  "You'll 
save  time. " 

Officer,  Grogan  jumped  in  and  the  subse- 
quent events  ceased  to  be  of  immediate  in- 
terest to  him.  He  was  neatly  blackjacked  as 
he  stood  swaying  in  the  car  calling  for  more 
speed.  He  got  more  speed,  though  he  did 
not  know  it — only  it  was  along  a  side  street, 
away;  from  Arabin's. 

At  about  the  same  time,  four  block's  south 
of  Arabia's,  Officer  Bacigalupo  was  also  at- 
tracted by  the  noise.  Unfortunately  for  him 
he  started  running  without  looking  where 
he  stepped.  He  stumbled  over  an  out- 
stretched foot,  and  when  he  went  down  he 
did  not  get  up.  Another  blackjack  had  ef- 
fectually taken  care  of  him  and  its  wielder 
had  climbed  into  a  car  that  careered  madly 
'down  a  cross  street. 

Nor  did  those  who  on  foot,  on  the  two 


LOOT  189 

nearest  parallel  avenues,  sought  the  as- 
sistance of  the  police  find  a  wearer  of  the  blue 
uniform  for  many  blocks;  for  it  happened 
that  Officer  Schmidt,  whose  beat  at  this  time 
took  him  almost  directly  across  from  Ara- 
bin's  on  the  corresponding  block  on  the  next 
avenue  to  the  west,  was  drawn  into  a  hall- 
way by  screams  that  issued  therefrom.  He 
woke  up  an  hour  or  so  later  to  discover  that 
It  was  a  vacant  house  and  that  his  head 
ached  severely.  And  Officer  Jennings,  on  the 
corresponding  block  to  the  east,  was  acci- 
dentally run  over  by  an  automobile  just  as, 
in  the  middle  of  the  street,  he  stood  gazing 
toward  Fifth  Avenue,  wondering  whether 
the  screaming  people  hurrying  his  way 
meant  him.  The  automobile  did  not  wait  to 
ascertain  the  extent  of  the  officer's  injuries. 
Across  the  street  from  Arabin's  the  porter 
of  the  Avenue  Bank  heard  the  shots  fired, 
took  cognizance  of  the  screams  issuing  from 
the  upper  windows  of  the  jewelry  establish- 
ment and  the  panic  in  the  street,  and  rushed 
out,  revolver  in  hand.  One  of  the  men 


LOOT 


guarding  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  Arabin's 
turned  carelessly.  He  must  have  been  an 
expert  marksman,  for  he  shot  from  the  hip 
and  the  bank  porter  rolled  over  three  times 
before  he  finally  came  to  a  sprawled  repose. 

Calmly,  matter-of-f  actly,  the  six  men  who 
held  the  street  awaited  the  coming  of  their 
colleagues  inside  the  jewelry  store.  And  the 
chauffeurs  of  the  six  cars,  though  nervously 
alert,  seemed  indifferent  to  their  peril.  No 
car  made  a  false  start.  The  chauffeurs  held 
the  levers  in  readiness,  but  showed  no  over- 
anxiety. 

A  hundred  telephones  at  least  were  at 
work;  but,  strangely  enough,  central  re- 
turned to  one  and  all  the  amazing  answer 
that  police  headquarters  could  not  be 
reached.  The  police  did  not  answer.  Nor 
did  the  central's  frantic  attempts  to  call  up 
the  nearest  police  stations  result  any  better. 
The  calls  were  unanswered  there  too. 

It  was  at  least  five  minutes  after  the  first 
alarm  before  an  automobile  stopped  before 
an  officer  far  down  Fifth  Avenue  and  told 


LOOT  191 

him  what  was  going  on.  It  was  ten  minutes 
more  before  lie  had  managed  to  summon, 
by  beating  his  stick  on  the  pavement,  three 
other  officers.  With  a  lesser  force  the  occu- 
pants of  the  car  who  had  brought  the  warn- 
ing insisted  that  it  would  be  insane  for  him 
to  attempt  an  attack  on  the  unthinkably  au- 
dacious marauders.  It  was  five  minutes 
more  before  they  descended  from  the  auto- 
mobile at  the  barricade  of  abandoned  drays. 
They  ran  gallantly  up  the  street,  but  it  was 
empty  of  waiting  automobiles  now.  At  win- 
dows and  doors  panic-stricken  observers  of 
the  robbery  shouted  encouragement  to  them. 
From  behind  the  locked  gates  of  Arabin's, 
employees  shouted  incoherently  to  them.  It 
was  a  couple  of  minutes  more  before  the  of- 
ficers understood  that  the  automobiles  con- 
taining the  looters  and  their  booty  had  shot 
down  cross  streets,  some  going  east,  some  go- 
ing west. 

It  took  one  of  the  officers  a  good  five  min- 
utes, in  a  commandeered  machine  that  he  ob- 
tained after  running  to  the  next  avenue  east, 


192  LOOT 

to  explain  to  the  lieutenant  at  the  nearest 
police  station  what  had  happened.  It  was 
ten  minutes  more  before  plain-clothes  men 
and  reserves  from  this  station  reached  Ara- 
bin's.  It  was  twenty  minutes  before  an  of- 
ficer from  this  station — the  lieutenant  find- 
ing it  impossible  to  get  headquarters  on  the 
telephone — reached  the  commissioner's  of- 
fice by  means  of  a  taxi.  And  it  was  half  an 
hour  after  that  before  the  first  of  the  head- 
quarters men  reached  the  scene  of  the  rob- 
bery and  took  intellegent  command  over  the 
precinct  men. 

At  the  end  of  another  half  hour  Arabin 
had  been  revived  sufficiently  to  gasp  out  his 
story.  By  that  time,  also,  the  loss  to  the 
concern  had,  in  great  measure,  been  esti- 
mated, and  twenty  detectives  were  faring 
along  the  cross  street  inquiring  of  every  one 
for  news  of  the  loot-laden  automobiles. 

The  trouble  with  the  police  telephone  lines 
was  located  shortly,  and  the  company's  su- 
perintendent had  promised  to  send  to  head- 
quarters immediately;  those  responsible, 


LOOT  193 

either  culpably  or  negligently,  for  the  amaz- 
ingly fortuitous — or  deliberate — happening. 
Detectives,  armed  with  a  complete  descrip- 
tion of  Williams  and  varying  descriptions  of 
some  of  the  others,  were  stationed  at  every 
ferry,  at  the  railroad  stations,  and  were  sent 
to  the  bridges  leading  from  the  Island  of 
Manhattan.  The  detective  agency  that  was 
supposed  to  guard  Arabin's  began  an  imme- 
diate investigation  to  discover,  if  possible, 
who  had  informed  the  robbers  where  to  look 
for  wires  that  connected  with  the  agency's 
offices  and  should  automatically  give  an 
alarm  if  certain  details  in  connection  with 
the  unlocking  of  the  vaults  were  not  at- 
tended to.  Even  if  armed  with  the  combina- 
tion and  with  the  correct  keys,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  open  those  vaults  without 
alarming  the  agency,  unless  one  knew  how 
to  avoid  certain  little  buttons  and  innocent- 
appearing  little  levers.  It  was  not  possible 
that  MacDonald  had  given  this  information 
to  the  robbers.  His  bashed  skull  was  proof 
of  his  innocence.  It  was  not  possible  that 


194  LOOT 

MacDonald  had  told  Williams.  The  super- 
intendent had  never  been  at  all  friendly  with 
the  treacherous  private  secretary.  Who, 
then,  employed  by  the  agency,  could  have 
given  information? 

All  told,  besides  the  uniformed  police, 
some  five  hundred  men  were  engaged  on  the 
case  by  noon;  yet  a  certain  hopelessness 
seemed  to  pervade  headquarters.  It  was 
"Captain  Kenney  who  first  openly  voiced  it  to 
the  commissioner. 

"I'm  thinkin',  Commissioner,"  he  said,  as 
the  two  sat  in  the  superior's  office  receiving 
reports  and  giving  orders,  "that  maybe 
Jerry  Try  on  ain't  the  nut  we%was  thinkin' 
him." 

"You  mean  that  the  Gray  Ghost  has  done 
this?" 

"I  mean,  if  he  didn't,  it's  the  sort  of  work 
Jerry  would  say  the  Gray  Ghost  has  had  his 
hand  in.  I  wish  Jerry  were  back  with  us. 
Sure,  he's  the  best  detective  th§  force  ever 
knew,  sirj  and 


LOOT  195 

An  officer  entered  with  the-  word  that  a 
score  of  newspaper  men  wished  to  interview 
the  commissioner.  Brainerd  wiped  the 
sweat  from  his  forehead.  He  scoured  his 
spectacles  painstakingly  witli  a  cigarette 
paper. 

1  i  The  Gray  Ghost ! ' '  he  murmured.  ' '  Cap- 
tain Kenney,  what '11  I  say  to  the  report- 
ers?" 

i 'Why,  if  you  ask  me,  Commissioner,"  an- 
swered Kenney,  "I'd  say  that  you  believe 
the  Gray  Ghost  is  behind  this  and  that  Jere- 
miah Tryon,  the  man  who  left  the  force  to 
devote  his  life  to  the  Gray  Ghost's  capture, 
is  back  on  the  job.  Good  Lord,  Commis- 
sioner, there  ain't  nothing  else  to  be  done !  I 
couldn't  catch  this  bird,  I'm  frank  enough  to 
say — not  unless  I'm  awful  lucky;  and  luck 
don't  ever  seem  to  be  with  those  chasin'  the 
Ghost.  I — I — for  years  I've  heard  Jerry 
talk  about  the  Ghost ;  I've  heard  him  outline 
how  the  Ghost  would  go  to  work.  And  if 
this  day's  stunt  don't  fit  them  outlines —  It 


196  LOOT 

ain't  pleasant  takin'  water,  Commissioner, 
but  this  thing  is  so  big  it's  staggerin'.  If  any 
man  was  ever  needed,  Jerry  Tryon  is  needed 


now.' 


It  was  then  that  Commissioner  Brainerd 
telephoned  Jerry  Tryon. 


CHAPTER   XII 

JERRY  TYRON  MAKES  SOME  DEDUCTIONS 

"AND  you're  certain  that  Williams,  the 
secretary,  isn't  the  Gray  Ghost?"  inquired 
Brainerd.  ' i  Yet  it  was  an  inside  job. ' ' 

"And  an  outside  job,  and  an  underneath 
job,  and  an  overhead  job !"  snorted  Tryon. 

"Then,  if  it  isn't  Williams,  who  is  the 
0ray  Ghost?" 

"If  I  knew  that  I'd  have  him  behind  the 
jbars  in  a  week,"  said  Tryon. 

"But  why  isn't  Williams  the  man?"  in- 
sisted the  commissioner. 

"Listen!"  said  Tryon.  "Williams  has 
been  employed  as  Arabin's  secretary  for  five 
years.  His  job  has  taken  between  eight  and 
ten  hours  of  his  time  six  days  a  week.  Let 
me  tell  you,  the  Gray  Ghost  couldn't  have 
afforded  to  give  that  much  time  to  a  secre- 

197 


198  LOOT 

tarial  job.  Every  waking  moment  he's  had 
has  been  devoted  to  plotting,  planning  and 
watching  his  tools  execute.  Here's  the  dope 
on  Williams  as  I've  got  it  from  Arabin  and 
from  the  men  who've  made  a  hasty  investi- 
gation of  him.  He  came  of  a  decent  Ohio 
family.  At  seventeen  he  got  a  job  with  Ara- 
bin as  office  boy.  He's  never  worked  any- 
where else  and  five  years  ago  was  made  Ara- 
bin's  secretary.  Five  years  ago  he  rented  an 
apartment  on  Riverside  Drive.  We  learn 
that,  though  he's  kept  a  servant  there,  he's 
not  slept  there,  hardly  eaten  a  meal  there, 
in  six  months.  Explained  to  the  servant  that 
he'd  been  married  secretly,  didn't  want  any 
one  to  know ;  so  was  living  elsewhere.  She's 
a  faithful  old  woman  and  believed  him.  I 
guess  he  paid  her  well.  She  kept  up  the 
bluff  that  he  lived  there.  Why  shouldn't 
she?  [Very  soft  for  her.  Still,  Williams 
continued  to  work  for  Arabin.  His  daytime 
was  just  as  open  as  ever." 

"But     his     nights — during     those     six 
months?" 


LOOT  199 

"Man,  dear,  he  couldn't  have  arranged 
this  crime  in  six  months.  It  took  nearer  six 
years. " 

"But  other  crimes,  in  other  cities,  which 
you  say  the  Gray  Ghost  must  have  engi- 
neered, have  taken  place  within  months." 

"The  Gray  Ghost  had  several  irons  in  the 
fire  at  the  same  time,"  replied  Try  on. 
"While  one  matter  was  progressing,  another 
was  being  finished,  and  another  was  being 
started.  If  I'm  right  about  him — and  I'm 
satisfied  I  am — he  sets  a  thing  in  motion, 
goes  off  to  start  something  else,  returns  and 
shoves  the  first  thing  along  a  little  faster, 
looks  after  the  details,  goes  off  and  starts  a 
third,  takes  a  look  at  the  second,  winds  up 
the  first,  starts  a  fourth — and  Williams 
couldn't  have  done  that.  Up  until  six 
months  ago  all  his  time  is  fairly  well  ac- 
counted for.  Another  thing:  In  no  crime 
that  bore  the  Gray  Ghost's  peculiar  touches 
— and  I've  studied  a  plenty  of  them — has 
there  been  any  evidence  that  the  leader  of 
the  active  work — the  actual  doer  of  the 


200  LOOT 

crime,  not  the  remote  organizer — was  the 
same  man  who  did  the  active  work,  was  the 
on-the-ground  leader  of  a  previous  crime. 
Each  crime  shows  a  different  leader,  but  the 
same  brain  in  the  background. 

"And  it  stands  to  reason  that  in  this,  the 
biggest  thing  of  all,  the  Gray  Ghost  would 
take  no  chances  by  appearing  on  the  scene 
himself.  You  asked  me  a  while  ago  why  I 
didn't  believe  that  the  men  watching  the  fer- 
ries and  stations  would  get  any  results. 
Here's  the  answer:  The  Gray  Ghost  is 
clever  enough  to  know  that  egress  from  the 
city  will  be  guarded.  Therefore,  he  won't 
attempt  egress ;  nor  will  he  permit  his  gang 
to  do  so.  Now  then,  the  minor  workers  un- 
der him  will  simply  lie  low — not  in  thieves' 
haunts — the  Gray; /Ghost  isn't  foolish — but 
quietly,  as  decent  citizens  in  homes  and  with 
apparent  occupations,  friendly  with  their 
neighbors,  not  skulking  in  the  shadows.  Be- 
lieve me,  every  worker  in  this  stunt  of  to-day 
has  an  identity  well  fixed  in  the  minds  of  a 
good  many  innocent  people  who'd  never 


LOOT 


dream  of  connecting  their  honest  friends 
with  the  criminals  who  pulled  this  stunt. 

"But  Williams!  Williams  was  the  sole 
insider  at  Arabin's.  For  Williams  to  go  to 
a  hotel  or  rent  an  apartment,  or  even  a  fur- 
nished  room,  to-day,  or  after  to-day,  is  as 
•dangerous,  with  the  hue  and  cry  raised,  as  it 
would  be  for  him,  very  well  described,  to  try 
to  leave  the  city.  Well,  do  you  see  it?  Six 
months  ago  Williams  quietly  rented  an 
apartment  or  rooms  somewhere  and  began 
living  there.  He's  had  six  months  in  which 
to  establish  himself  thoroughly  in  the  good 
graces  of  his  neighbors,  to  fix  himself  as  an 
ordinary  citizen  going  to  work  every  morn- 
ing. All  he's  had  to  do  was  pretend  that  his 
job  was  somewhere  other  than  Arabin's. 
He's  right  here  in  the  city." 

"Well,  Tryon,  I  hope  $ou  land  him.  I'd 
be  satisfied  if  we  landed  Williams.  Twelve 
million  dollars  in  jewelry  stolen  in  broad 
daylight!  Whew!"  The  commissioner 
sighed  wearily.  "  What  have  you  learned  so 
far,  Tryon?" 


202  LOOT 

* 

"Only  things  that  go  to  clinch  the  Gray 
Ghost's  connection  with  the  crime,"  an- 
swered Try  on.  "The  detective  agency 
which  furnished  the  store  operatives,  and 
whose  offices  were  connected  with  the  Ara- 
bin  vaults  by  electric  signals,  reports  that 
one  of  their  most  trusted  employees  has  dis- 
appeared. He  left  the  office  at  nine  this 
morning.  He'd  been  with  the  company  five 
years,  and  before  that  had  been  four  years 
with  a  rival  agency.  Good  record !  Yet  he 's 
the  only  man  who  knew  the  secret  of  those 
little  push  buttons  and  levers  connected  with 
the  Arabia  vaults — except  the  two  owners 
of  the  agency,  who  are  beyond  suspicion,  and 
MacDonald,  who  certainly  wasn't  in  on  the 
plot.  It  means  that  the  Gray  Ghost  had  an 
aid  in  the  very  detective  agency  which  pro- 
tected Arabin ! 

"That  aid  has  disappeared.  This  agency 
man  made  the  electric  connections  himself! 
Luck?  Luck  nothing!  Part  of  the  Gray 
Ghost 's  long-thought-out  plan !  If  he  didn  't 
plant  that  man  he  corrupted  him,  and  he 


LOOT  203 

probably  did  that  first  of  all.  And  the  man 
— Enwright  is  his  name — has  vanished.  The 
agency  sends  me  word  that  he  hasn't  lived 
at  his  last  known  address  for  three  months. 

"The  telephone  company!  Half  a  dozen 
of  their  mechanics  have  quietly  slid  away 
from  view — the  men  who,  on  some  pretext 
or  another,  pretending  that  they  had  been 
sent  to  report  on  the  condition  of  the  wires, 
managed  this  morning  to  disconnect  the  tele- 
phones here  at  headquarters  and  at  the  five 
police  stations  nearest  Arabin's !  Those  men 
can't  be  found  at  their  last  known  addresses ; 
moved  away  some  time  ago. 

"Understand  the  cleverness  of  it?  The 
men  who  would  naturally  be  suspected  at 
once  and  whose  identities  were  known-— 
these  have  planted  alibis,  arranged  new 
identities.  The  others,  the  men  who  drove 
the  Blank  Furniture  Removing  Company's 
drays  and  left  them  where  they'd  block  any 
automobile  dash  on  the  looters,  forcing  any 
sudden  police  arrivals  to  come  on  foot — • 
same  thing  with  them.  Eleven  men  who 


204  LOOT 

would  at  once  be  suspected — twelve,  count- 
ing Williams — we  learn  have  moved  away 
from  their  old  quarters.  Williams,  who 
might  have  been  telephoned  by  Arabin, 
maintained  his  old  address,  with  instruc- 
tions, if  he  were  telephoned  or  called  for,  to 
say  that  he  was  out.  And  once  a  day  he 
phoned  his  servant  to  ascertain  whether  any 
one  had  inquired  for  him. 

"Now  then,  do  you  think  that  in  six 
months  Williams  could  have  arranged  all 
these  details,  when  all  his  days  except  Sun- 
'days  were  spent  in  Arabin 's  office  ?  Hardly ! 
Why,  Commissioner,  I  tell  you  if  he'd  been 
capable  of  planning  this  affair  he'd  have 
shown  flashes  of  genius  that  so  shrewd  a 
man  as  Arabin  would  have  recognized  before 
this.  But  he  didn't.  He  didn't  plan  it." 

"I'm  as  convinced  of  that  as  you  are 
now,"  sighed  Brainerd.  "Have  you  any- 
thing else  to  go  upon?" 

"Only  this :  All  the  automobiles  that  bore 
the  looters  away  have  been  abandoned.  Peo- 
ple in  the  bank  across  the  way  and  adjacent 


LOOT  265 

buildings  got  those  numbers.  The  cars  have 
been  found,  all  widely  separated;  and  in 
them  were  found  the  hats  and  coats  of  the 
chauffeurs.  They  simply  got  out,  left  their 
outer  clothing,  put  on  other  hats  and  coats, 
and  walked  off.  Deserted  streets  they  chose 
— simple !  And  the  numbers  they  used  were 
stolen.  The  rightful  owners  proved  alibis 
for  themselves  and  their  cars ;  but  the  Gray 
Ghost  was  too  foxy  merely  to  substitute  new 
numbers  on  the  looters'  cars.  They  might 
be  recognized  by  other  means.  He  simply 
had  them  abandoned.  'And  the  cars  that 
were  used  to  put  the  patrolmen  on  their 
beats  out  of  the  way — abandoned  too." 

"Well,  you've  spent  some  years  studying 
the  Gray  Ghost's  methods,"  rejoined  Brain- 
erd.  "You  ought  to  know  how  to  go  about 
getting  him." 

"I  ought  to,"  said  Tryon;  "but  I'm  not 
sure  that  I  do." 

The  commissioner  stared. 

"But  you've  devoted  the  last  several 
months — " 


206  LOOT 

"On  my  own  and  a  friend's  money,  and 
I  took  care  not  to  dip  too  deep  into  his," 
replied  Try  on.  "And  I  had  no  power.  I 
could  get  no  authorization  to  act  for  the 
department — authorization  that  would  have 
helped  me  in  other  cities.  Not  a  line.  I 
was  a  joke !  Now,  when  my  prophecies  have 
come  true,  when  right  in  New  York  has  been 
pulled  a  crime  that  shows  years  of  patient 
organization,  which  shows  that  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  dollars  were  spent  in  per- 
fecting the  plan,  you  expect,  I  imagine,  that 
I'll  pull  the  brainiest  crook  that  ever  set  his 
face  against  society  like  I  would  a  common 
drunk!  Commissioner,  if  you  expect  any 
stunt  like  that  from  me  I  quit  right  here." 

The  commissioner  wiped  his  dry  lips. 

"No,  no,  Try  on.  Don't  be  touchy.  Only 
• — with  the  whole  city  roused,  alarmed,  with 
every  merchant  and  banker  asking  whether 
he's  to  be  the  next,  I — I — •" 

"The  trouble  is,"  said  Tryon  mercilessly, 
"you're  thinking  of  your  job,  and  how  to 
placate  the  people  and  the  press.  I'm  not 


LOOT  207 

going  to  bother  about  them  at  all.  I've  been 
the  joke  of  the  papers  for  a  long  time.  Now, 
when  they've  got  to  realize  that  I  knew  what 
J.  was  talking  about,  if  they  want  to  yammer 
and  hammer — let  'em!  I  don't  care  about 
anything  except  one  thing — the  Gray  Ghost ! 
And  I'll  get  him — if  I  do  get  him — in  spite 
of  the  cries  for  haste — not  because  of  them." 

"And  you  have  some  idea  of  how  to  go 
about  it  ?" 

"Hardly  one,"  said  Try  on  frankly.  "All 
I'm  doing  is  trying  to  digest  what  happened, 
to  get  every  last  detail  fixed  in  my  brain 
and  to  find  a  weak  spot  somewhere.  I 
haven't  yet." 

"And  the  order  you  gave?  You  ordered 
that  every  officer  on  the  force  should  en- 
deavor to  find  out  what  houses  in  the  city 
had  been  visited  by  half  a  dozen  machines 
between  eleven-forty-five  and  twelve-fif- 
teen. Have  you  heard?  And  what's  the 
idea?" 

"I've  heard  from  at  least  twenty  police- 
men," answered  Try  on;  "but  none  of  the 


208  LOOT 

• 

places  would  do.  Musicales,  society  break- 
fasts— well-known  people,  all  of  them.  And 
a  few  dentists  and  physicians.  Not  worth 
investigating.  The  same  with  two  places  in 
the  Bronx.  Too  far  away." 

"But  I  don't  see— " 

"Listen,"  said  Try  on  impatiently.  "The 
Gray  Ghost  took  care  of  the  police  tele- 
phones; but  he  couldn't  take  care  of  every 
telephone  in  the  city — now,  could  he  ?  What 
would  be  more  natural  than  that  everybody 
who  witnessed  the  robbery  would  call  up  his 
wife  and  family,  and  his  friends,  to  tell  them 
about  the  big  thing  he  'd  seen  ?  Most  natural 
thing  in  the  world.  "Within  half  an  hour 
after  his  men  made  their  getaway  thousands 
of  people  would  know  about  the  matter. 
Also,  the  first  officers  on  hand  telephoned  to 
drug  stores  and  saloons  and  shops  up-town, 
down-town,  east  and  west,  telling  these  peo- 
ple to  run  to  the  nearest  station  or  the  near- 
est officer  they  could  find,  and  tell  that  Ara- 
bin's  had  been  looted,  and  to  watch  out  for 
half  a  dozen  or  more  machines.  Now,  the 


LOOT  209 

Gray  Ghost  must  have  known  that  when  the 
police  wires  were  found  to  be  out  of  commis- 
sion the  police  would  do  that  very  thing. 
I'm  giving  him  credit  for  brains.  Not  that 
I  have  to,"  he  went  on  grimly;  "he's  proved 
he  has  'em. 

"Figure  it  out  for  yourself.  The  Gray 
Ghost  knew  that,  with  all  his  precautions, 
the  best  he  could  hope  for  was  a  clear  half 
hour  from  the  time  they  finished  the  job — 
maybe  less.  And  men  lugging  sacks  through 
the  streets  would  be  just  as  conspicuous  as 
the  automobiles;  more  so,  wouldn't  they? 
Well  then,  wouldn't  he  figure  that  they'd 
have  to  get  into  hiding  and  rid  themselves  of 
their  loot  within  half  an  hour?  Certainly! 
Another  thing :  As  soon  as  this  got  abroad, 
officers  on  their  beats  would  remember  any 
speeding,  wouldn't  they?  Motor  police 
might  even  have  hauled  some  of  them  for 
speeding — might  have  tried  to;  and  the 
scrap  they'd  have  put  up  would  have  left  a 
clear  trail,  wouldn't  it?  Therefore,  he'd  not 
have  his  men  try  to  make  for  any  distant 


210  LOOT 

point.  He'd  take  no  chances.  He'd  have 
them  meet  somewhere  within  an  easy  twenty 
minutes7  ride  of  Arabin's.  And  that  means 
within  half  a  dozen  miles  of  Arabin's  and 
not  way  up  in  the  Bronx,  where  autos  were 
reported." 

Brainerd's  mouth  opened  in  admiring 
amazement. 

Tryon  lapsed  into  silence,  studying  the 
notes  he  had  made  of  the  robbery,  his 
shrewd  brain  searching,  searching,  search- 
ing for  the  weak  spot.  Brainerd,  nervous 
and  excited,  wondering  how  this  gigantic 
crime  would  affect  his  political  future,  for- 
bore to  ask  any  more  questions.  The  tele- 
phone rang.  Tryon  answered  it. 

"Yes?  ...  Yes?  ...  at  five  after 
twelve,  as  nearly  as  they  can  tell  you  ?  Very 
good.  .  .  .  No ;  do  nothing  but  stand  near 
there.  I'll  be  up  as  soon  as  possible." 

He  hung  up  and  turned  to  the  commis- 
sioner. 

"Officer  Deegan  has  found  a  house  that 
seems  to  fill  the  bill — off  Lexington  Avenue, 


in  the  nineties;  not  three  miles  from  Ara- 
bin's."  He  smiled.  "We'll  soon  know 
whether  my  deductions  are  worth  anything, 
'Commissioner.  I'll  phone  you  in  half  an 
hour  or  so." 

Tryon  snatched  up  his  hat  and  hurried 
out  of  Brainerd's  office. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

TYRON  TKACES  THE  GRAY  GHOST ;  FOR  A  SHORT 
DISTANCE 

FROM  the  curb,  at  the  wheel  of  a  racy- 
looking  roadster,  Jimmy  Pelham  hailed 
Tryon  as  the  latter  hurried  down  the  steps 
of  headquarters,  ^he  detective  immediately 
stepped  into  the  vacant  seat  and  the  car  slid 
up-town. 

"  Right  direction  ?"  queried  Pelham. 

"Lexington  Avenue,  and  when  you  reach 
it  keep  on  going  until  I  tell  you  to  stop.  And 
never  mind  the  speed  laws." 

Pelham  took  him  at  his  word.  Briefly 
Tryon  told  the  young  millionaire  the  latest 
developments ;  but,  terse  as  he  was,  so  great 
was  the  roadster's  speed  that  they  were  at 
the  appointed  meeting  place  with  Officer 

212 


LOOT  213 

» 
Deegan  when  lie  finished.     The  policeman 

hurried  to  the  car  as  Tiyon  and  Pelham 
climbed  down  from  it. 

"  House  next  the  corner,  Lieut  'nant,"  he 
said.  "Six  autos  drove  up  there  at  a  few 
minutes  past  noon.  Men  got  out  and  lugged 
bags  of  stuff  inside.  People  didn't  think 
anything  about  it — only  a  few  women  no- 
ticed them — until  the  afternoon  papers  got 
out.  Then  they  didn't  say  anything  till  I 
happened  to  question  the  right  parties.  You 
know  how  people  are — don't  want  to  make 
fatheads  of  themselves ;  afraid  of  being  fools 
— waiting  till  their  husbands  come  home,  to 
tell  them,  and — " 

"Which  house?"  demanded  Tryon 
bruskly. 

Deegan  pointed. 

"Sure  you  don't  want  more  men,  Lieut '- 
nant?" 

"Scared?"  asked  Tryon. 

For  answer  Deegan  flushed  and  walked 
swiftly  up  the  stoop. 

"You're  all  right,  Deegan,"  said  Tryon 


214  LOOT 

kindly;  "but  there'll  be  no  'ruckus' — not 
if  I  know  my  Gray  Ghost,  and  I  think  I  do. " 

He  shook  the  door-knob  and  rang  the  bell. 

"  Learn  anything  about  the  people  sup- 
posed to  live  here  ?"  he  asked. 

" Bachelor — name  of  Peters,"  answered 
Deegan.  ' '  No  one  knows  his  business. ' J 

"Huh!"  said  Try  on.  "Not  much  infor- 
mation in  that,  but  as  much  as  could  be  ex- 
pected." He  rang  the  bell  again.  "Bad 
business  breaking  into  a  house  without  a 
warrant,  but—  Your  lady  friends  didn't 
see  the  men  who  went  in  come  out,  eh?" 

"They  didn't  notice  them,"  said  Deegan: 
"but,  of  course,  they  weren't  watching  and 
didn't  see  anything  odd  at  the  time,  so — " 

He  stopped  short  as  Tryon  pulled  a  jimmy 
from  his  pocket. 

"If  there  are  any  innocent  people  inside 
they  ought  to  answer  the  bell,"  said  Tryon. 
"As  they  don't—" 

He  heaved  upon  the  jimmy  and  the  door 
burst  open.  The  three  men  crowded  inside. 


LOOT  215 


"You  stay  by  the  door  here,  Mr.  Pelham, 
and  keep  people  away/7 

Already  a  curious  knot  had  gathered  on 
the  sidewalk. 

"They'd  mind  Deegan  better,"  suggested 
Pelham.  * '  He  wears  a  uniform. ' ' 

Tryon  chuckled  at  the  plea  for  action. 

"You  stay  here,  then,  Deegan.  Come  on, 
Mr.  Pelham." 

Together  they  went  through  the  house 
from  cellar  to  roof.  They  found  plenty  of 
evidence  of  recent  occupation,  but  none  of 
the  occupants.  In  a  room  on  the  second 
floor  they  found  a  score  of  stout  silk  sacks 
and  piled  heaps  of  suits  of  clothes  and  hats. 

"Slick!"  commented  Tryon  to  the  excited 
Pelham.  "Sacks  might  cause  remark. 
Shifted  to  suit-cases  probably.  'And  the 
clothes — changed  to  help  hide  their  identi- 
ties and  defy  descriptions.  Oh,  well;  I  ex- 
pected as  much."  He  picked  up  a  jacket 
and  looked  for  a  maker's  name.  There  was 
none.  "Still,"  he  mused,  "maybe  the  store 


216  LOOT 

it  came  from  could  be  traced.  Slow  work, 
and  even  if  it  could  be — some  more  vague 
description.  It  wasn't  bought  by  any  regu- 
lar customer  of  any  place,  that's  a  certainty. 
But  there  isn't  a  doubt  this  was  the  ren- 
dezvous." 

"And  you're  a  marvel  to  have  discovered 
itl"  cried  the  admiring  Pelham. 

"You  forgot  that  all  my  time  for  a  long, 
long  while  has  been  spent  in  figuring  how  the 
Ghost  would  pull  a  stunt  like  this.  I  don't 
mean  Arabin's  in  particular — any  big  stunt. 
Come  on  down-stairs ;  maybe  I  can  find  out 
something  from  the  neighbors." 

The  first  question  he  addressed  to  the  rap- 
idly augmenting  group  on  the  sidewalk,  at- 
tracted thereto  by  the  policeman's  uniform, 
brought  a  response.  An  urchin  cried : 

"There's  no  wagon  been  pulled  up  here, 
or  auto,  neither,  mister.  I  been  playin'  on 
this  street  all  afternoon.  But  the  people 
round  the  corner  moved  this  afternoon — 
early  this  afternoon.  A  big  van.  I  saw  it." 


ttK.HI 


And  the  clothes — changed  to  help  hide  their  identities 


LOOT  217 

house?"  demanded  Try  on  ea- 
gerly. 

The  urchin  pointed  to  it.  It  was  just 
round  the  corner  and  its  side  walls  formed 
one  side  of  the  house  that  had  been  used  as 
the  rendezvous.  Tryon  laughed  shortly. 

"Wait  here,  son,"  he  said,  tossing  the 
proud  youngster  a  coin.  With  Pelham  he 
reentered  the  house. 

"Easy  guessed,  if  I  hadn't  been  dumb!" 
he  commented.  "The  Gray  Ghost  had  to 
get  hold  of  the  loot.  Also,  knowing  there 
was  a  good  chance  that  his  rendezvous 
would  be  found  out,  he  had  to  get  the  loot 
away  again.  And  there  was  enough  of  it  so 
that  it  couldn't  very  well  be  piled  into  one 
automobile.  It  might  be  noticed  even  in 
a  limousine.  Besides,  about  every  closed 
auto  in  the  city  has  been  searched  to-day. 
That's  one  routine  trick  the  force  is  busy 
at — holding  them  all  up,  and  taking  slants 
into  the  backs  of  open  cars  too.  He'd  ex- 
pect that.  But  a  furniture  van — if  that 


218  LOOT 

backed  up  to  his  rendezvous,  and  by  any 
chance  somebody  had  grown  suspicious  of 
the  autos — well,  it  wouldn't  do.  But  a  van 
round  the  corner,  where  the  people  on  this 
cross  street  wouldn't  notice  it —  Come  on 
up-stairs,  Mr.  Pelham.  You  noticed  there 
was  a  big  dresser  with  a  tall  mirror  on  the 
second  floor.  Let 's  push  it  aside. ' ' 

It  was  an  easy  task,  and  behind  it  was 
found  what  Tryon  had  expected — a  door 
that  led  into  the  house  which  opened  on 
Lexington  Avenue.  And  this  house  was 
empty,  too,  though,  like  the  other,  showing 
signs  of  recent  occupation. 

"I  suppose,"  said  Tryon,  "that  it 
wouldn't  be  bad  business  to  get  a  line  on 
what  sort  of  people  lived  here.  It'll  only  be 
more  descriptions,  but — come  on,  Mr.  Pel- 
ham." 

Leaving  Officer  Deegan  to  guard  the  two 
houses  and  having  bestowed  another  coin 
upon  the  quick-witted  urchin,  after  learning 
the  name  printed  on  the  van,  he  led  the  way 
to  a  drug  store. 


LOOT  219 

"You  call  up  headquarters  and  get  the 
commissioner.  Say  I  told  you  to.  Tell  him 
to  send  half  a  dozen  men  up  here  at  once. 
Tell  him  I 'm  busy  on  another  line.  Quick  1 ' ' 

And  as  Pelham  stepped  into  the  public 
booth,  Tryon  requested  the  use  of  the  drug- 
gist's private  line,  which  was  immediately 
granted  at  sight  of  his  shield.  They  met 
again  in  the  front  of  the  store  in  a  moment. 

"The  commissioner  will  send  them  right 
up,"  said  Pelham.  "To  whom  were  you 
telephoning?" 

"The  van  people — the  Manhattan  Furni- 
ture Removing  Company,  of  course!"  re- 
plied Tryon.  "There's  a  fifth  of  the  com- 
pany's chauffeurs  disappeared.  One  man 
was  ordered  to  drive  to  Brooklyn  to  do  some 
moving.  The  family  over  there  haven't  no- 
tified the  company  that  he  failed  to  arrive, 
but  he  should  have  reported  back  over  an 
hour  ago.  I  asked  them  to  send  somebody 
over  to  Brooklyn  and  find  out  whether  the 
family  that  wanted  to  be  moved  really  ex- 
isted. Of  course  they  don't  I" 


220  LOOT 

"You  mean  that — " 

"The  loot  had  to  be  moved  again.  It 
couldn't  remain  in  this  Lexington  Avenue 
house.  The  Gray  Ghost  is  not  so  conceited 
that  he  underestimates  other  people's  intel- 
ligence. There  was  an  excellent  chance  that 
his  rendezvous  would  be  discovered.  So,  of 
course,  his  knowledge  of  human  nature — 
crook  human  nature  in  especial — making  it 
imperative  that  there  should  be  a  rendez- 
vous, the  thing  to  do  was  get  the  spoils  to  an- 
other place  as  soon  as  might  be.  Autos 
would  be  dangerous.  But  an  innocent  mov- 
ing van — only  the  driver  of  it  must  not  be 
innocent!  Therefore — the  false  call  from 
Brooklyn." 

"But  the  helpers  on  those  vans?  That 
makes  four — five — more  that  have  disap- 
peared." 

Tryon  shook  his  head. 

"He  doesn't  cumber  his  machine  with  too 
many  auxiliary  parts.  How  easy  to  invite  a 
man  to  have  a  drink!  I'll  wager  anything 
you  care,  Mr.  Pelham,  that  five  van  helpers 


LOOT  221 

report  tomorrow  with  a  very  hazy  idea  of 
what  happened  to  them  after  they  were  in- 
veigled into  saloons.  Knockout  drops  are 
cheap  and  easily  administered.  Most  sa- 
loons have  rooms  up-stairs.  An  apparently 
drunken  man  will  be  accommodated  there 
while  he  sleeps  it  off.  .  .  .  Something  like 
that.  Will  you  drive  me  down-town?" 

"You're  not  going  to  investigate  here? 
The  descriptions  of  the  people  who  rented 
these  two  houses — " 

Tryon  laughed. 

"I  thought  I'd  made  you  understand  that 
descriptions  would  get  us  nowhere — not  in  a 
hurry,  at  any  rate.  The  men  coming  will  do 
that." 

' '  But  the  van — with  the  loot  ?  Aren  't  you 
going  to  trace  that  ?  To  try  ?  " 

"The  company  has  already  notified  head- 
quarters. They're  at  work  on  that  by  now,  I 
imagine.  But  it  won't  lead  to  anything.  The 
van  ^rill  be  discovered  empty  somewhere." 

"But  the  loot  had  to  be  transferred,  didn't 
it?"  protested  Pelham.  "And  that  would 


222  LOOT 

be  a  rather  public  operation.  Maybe  it  was 
done  in  still  some  other  house.  If  you  could 
find  that,  wouldn't  it  bring  you  so  much 
nearer  the  man  you  want?" 

Tryon  grinned. 

1  'Just  try  and  remember  that  no  child 
engineered  this  job,  Mr.  Pelham.  Try  to 
remember  that  he's  always  shown  himself 
as  brilliant  after  the  fact  as  before.  Do  you 
think  he's  bothered  about  an  endless  chain 
of  houses  for  retransf erence  of  the  stuff  ?  I 
said  a  while  ago  that  I  didn't  believe  he'd 
cumber  his  machine  with  useless  parts.  We 
know  that  he's  abandoned  the  silk  sacks 
which  held  the  stuff.  Put  it  into  suit-cases 
probably.  Maybe  trunks.  Did  that  in  the 
house  that  faced  Lexington  Avenue.  Noth- 
ing funny  about  trunks  coming  out  of  a 
house  that's  being  vacated,  is  there? 

"And  there's  so  much  confusion  about 
moving,  that  half  a  dozen  men  could  easily 
slip  away  without  being  noticed.  One  of 
them  could  pose  as  the  helper  that  had  been 
disposed  of.  The  others  would  simply  walk 


LOOT  223 

off.  And  when  a  good  part  of  your  loot — 
most  of  it — is  in  jewels — those  men  that 
walked  off  could  carry;  their  pay  without 
showing  it,  couldn't  they;?  The  bulky  stuff 
— watches  and  the  like — that  would  go  into 
the  suit-cases  or  trunks.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
however,  I'm  prepared  to  believe  that  the 
men  who  brought  that  stuff  here  didn't  take 
away  a  single  stone  with  them.  I  believe 
they  were  handed  a  bunch  of  cash." 

"But  their  shares — and  the  shares  of  the 
others — that  much  cash?  It's  incredible  I" 

"The  Gray  Ghost  isn't  a  fly-by-nighter," 
said  Tryon.  "He's  been  operating  some 
time.  Listen  I  There's  never  been  a  piece 
of  jewelry  stolen  by  the  Gray  Ghost's  gang 
that  turned  up  in  a  pawn-shop  or  with  a 
fence.  Get  what  that  means  ?  It  means  that 
he  pays  cash!  'Maybe  not  all  in  one  pay- 
ment. A  big  deal  like  this  one  would  mean 
that  he'd  probably  have  to  distribute  two  or 
three  million  dollars.  He'd  not  have  that 
much  with  him.  But  the  people  that  work 
for  him  know  him.  They,  trust  him.  The 


224  LOOT 

way  I  feel  is  that  lie  handed  a  good  sizable 
bunch  over  to  them,  to  be  distributed.  He 
attends  to  the  marketing  of  the  spoils  him- 
self. Later  on,  when  he's  disposed  of  the 
stuff — and  probably  not  in  this  country  at 
all — they  get  a  larger  slice.  Meantime 
they're  busy  doping  out  a  new  trick. 
They're  sort  of  on  salary,  with  an  interest  in 
the  firm,  and  dividends  are  declared  when 
it's  convenient.  That's  how  I  figure  it.  He 
wouldn't  take  the  risk  of  letting  his  men  try 
to  market  the  stuff.  They  might  deal  with 
fences  friendly  to  the  police.  They  might 
get  drunk — and  he  might  not  be  able  to  put 
the  fear  of  God  into  them." 

"But  still,"  objected  Pelham,  "a  van  is 
too  conspicuous.  He'd  have  to  transfer  the 
suit-cases  or  trunks.  If  you  could  find  the 
house  where  he  did  that — " 

"What  makes  you  think  he  used  a  house? 
Suppose  he  has  the  van  pulled  up  in  a  nice, 
lonely  neighborhood;  there's  plenty  of  them 
still  in  New  York.  Suppose  an  ordinary 
wagon  draws  up  alongside  the  van.  Sup- 


LOOT  225 

pose  the  trunks  are  pitched  into  that  wagon 
— quick  I  The  wagon  drives  off — inaybe  to 
the  railroad  station,  maybe  to  some  dock, 
maybe  to  some  hotel.  If  to  either  of  the  first 
two,  they're  shipped  aboard  a  train  or  boat, 
like  any  other  baggage.  If  to  a  hotel  they 
belong  to  some  guest  who  just  came  in  from 
out  of  town.  Doesn't  that  sound  a  bit  more 
like  what  a  brainy  man  would  do ! 

"And  how  are  you  going  to  identify  those 
trunks?  There's  law,  you  know,  Mr.  Pel- 
ham.  And  that  law  provides  that  you  can't 
open  a  man's  trunks  without  due  process  of 
law.  Of  course  if  I  found  those  trunks  and 
knew  them  to  be  the  ones — but  what  I'd  have 
to  do  would  be  to  search  every  single  trunk 
that  arrived  at  the  different  railroad  sta- 
tions or  docks  to-day.  I'd  have  to  search  the 
effects  of  every  guest  who  had  baggage 
brought  to  a  New  York  hotel  to-day.  And 
inside  of  six  hours  there 'd  be  a  roar  that 
would  just  about  turn  this  city  upside  down. 
It's  too  big;  it  couldn't  be  done." 

Tryon  got  into  the  roadster  and  Pelham 


226  LOOT 

drove  him  down-town.  Neither  of  them 
spoke  until  headquarters  was  reached.  Then 
Pelham  said: 

"I  don't  want  to  butt  in,  Jerry;  and,  now 
that  you're  back  with  the  force,  I  don't  feel 
like  bothering  you  with  my  presence.  It 
wouldn't  do.  But  I'm  just  as  much  inter- 
ested— a  hundred  times  more,  of  course !" 

"The  Tryon  Agency  ain't  abandoned 
yet,"  said  Tryon.  "I'm  back  on  the  force 
because  I  can  do  more  good  there  just  now. 
But  when  I  land  this  Ghost — if  I  do — I 
guess  the  advertisement  will  be  good  enough 
to  assure  that  Tryon  stock  will  soon  pay 
dividends.  I  guess  I  can  quit  the  force  for- 
ever then,  and  begin  to  accept  private  busi- 
ness. And  meantime — you  ain't  a  detective, 
Mr.  Pelham;  but  you  think  straight,  and 
precedent  and  red  tape  don't  cloud  your 
brain.  You  eould  help  me  lots  by  talking 
things  over.  And  you've  got  lots  of  spare 
rooms  in  that  big  Madison  Avenue  house  of 
yours,  haven't  you?" 

"By  George!    You  said  it!"  cried  Pel- 


LOOT  227 

ham.  "Give  me  your  keys  and  I'll  get  my 
man  and  we'll  transfer  your  things  over  to 
my  place  right  away." 

"And  you  might  give  me  a  key  to  your 
house,"  suggested  Tryon. 

Swiftly  Pelham  detached  his  own  latch- 
key from  his  ring. 

"There  you  are!" 

"With  a  handshake  they  parted,  Pelham 
to  drive  up-town  and  Tryon  to  go  to  the 
commissioner's  office.  lAt  seven  o'clock  he 
received  word  that  the  missing  van  had  been 
found  in  a  garage  in  Greenwich  village.  The 
owner  of  the  place  had  dropped  in  to  see  how 
the  person  who  had  recently  rented  it  was 
getting  along.  He  had  found  it  deserted, 
save  for  the  van.  Casual  inquiry  at  a  near- 
by saloon  had  developed  the  fact  that,  far 
from  seeking  business,  the  new  tenant  had 
been  turning  it  away  recently.  The  owner 
had  reexamined  the  van  and  found  it  loaded 
with  household  effects.  He  had  become  sus- 
picious and  telephoned  the  moving  company, 
which  had  notified  the  police. 


228  LOOT 

Detectives,  rushed  to  the  spot,  had  learned 
that  an  ordinary  express  wagon,  drawn  by 
one  horse,  had  driven  up  to  the  garage  dur- 
ing the  afternoon  and  gone  away  with  some 
trunks  loaded  aboard.  Try  on 's  reasoning 
had  been  proved  correct  in  every  detail. 

But  at  eleven  o'clock  there  had  been  found 
no  further  trace  of  the  express  wagon. 
Those  who  had  seen  it,  only  remembered  that 
a  tarpaulin  had  been  hanging  over  its  si^es 
as  it  stood  before  the  garage,  and  the  name 
had  been  invisible.  To  find  it  was  like  look- 
ing for  a  needle  in  a  haystack.  Tryon  knew 
absolutely  that  his  men  could  not  locate  it. 

At  one  in  the  morning,  having  pored  over 
every  report  that  came  in  to  him,  having 
sought  again  and  again  to  find  the  weak  spot 
in  the  plot  without  result,  he  turned  to  the 
anxious  commissioner.  • 

"Well,  what  do  you  think V  queried 
Brainerd. 

"I  think  it's  time  I  went  to  bed  and  slept 
on  this,"  replied  Tryon. 

"But,  man  alive,"  cried  Brainerd,  "every 


LOOT  229 

moment  you  delay  gives  him  so  much  more 
time  to — " 

"Commissioner,  for  the  mental  exercise — 
not  because  I  thought  it  would  lead  to  any- 
thing— I  traced  the  Gray  Ghost's  gang's 
movements  for  an  hour  or  so  after  the  rob- 
bery. I'm  really  rather  tickled  I  was  able  to 
do  that  much ;  but,  having  done  that  much, 
I  know  there's  no  more  to  be  done  along 
those  lines.  It  was  naturally  impossible  for 
the  Ghost  to  make  the  first  part  of  his  get- 
away so  clean  that  there 'd  not  be  a  trace  to 
show  his  passage;  but  it  wasn't  impossible 
for  him  to  hide  his  trail  when  he  started  the 
second  part  of  the  getaway.  He's  done  it; 
he's  hidden  it,  as  I  knew  he  would. 

"In  every  crime  he's  committed  he's  never 
left  a  trail  that  could  be  followed.  He 
planned  too  carefully,  too  cleverly.  And 
he'd  plan  more  carefully  than  ever  in  this, 
the  biggest  trick  that  he  or  any  one  else  ever 
pulled.  He  can't  be  traced." 

"Then  you're  beaten— right  off?" 

"I  didn't  say  that.    I  said  that  his  get- 


23Q  LOOT 

away;  was  too  well-thought-out  for  me  to 
hope  to  land  him  by  studying  it.  There  isn't 
a  weak  spot  in  it.  Why,  Commissioner,  at 
this  moment  I  don't  believe  that  a  single  one 
of  his  gang — those  at  least  who  figured  in  the 
actual  robbery — know  where  he  is.  The 
head  ones — those  who  helped  him  plan — 
they  may  know;  but  the  others — they  don't 
even  know  who  he  is.  That's  how  I  feel 
about  him.  With  the  exception  of  Williams, 
perhaps,  and  we  don't  know  where  he  is ;  and 
he's  one  of  the  main  guys  at  that !" 

"But  surely  some  of  the  many  who  took 
part  in  the  crime  can  be  found  by  our  detec- 
tives!" cried  the  commissioner.  "It's  im- 
possible that  thirty  or  forty  men  should  all 
disappear." 

I  don't  agree  with  you,"  said  Tryon. 

I've  explained  how  it's  possible.    It  looks 
big,  but  remember — the  Gray  Ghost  is  big!" 

"Well,  what  does  it  all  lead  to  ?  That  he'll 
never  be  caught?" 

"It  leads  to   this,"   answered   Tryon — 
that  there's  no  weak  spot  in  his  getaway 


H 
It 


t( 


LOOT  231 

and  no  weak  spot  in  the  crime  itself.  It's 
useless  to  study  either.  But  before — be- 
fore! If  there's  a  weak  spot  anywhere  it 
will  be  found  in  some  action  of  his  before 
the  crime." 

"But  if  you  can't  find  any  in  the  crime, 
or  in  his  escape,  how  on  earth  do  you  expect 
to  do  so  in  his  actions  before  the  crime? 
When  you  don't  even  know  where  he  was  or 
who  he  was !  Where's  your  weak  spot  to  be 
found?" 

"In  a  bed  at  the  Emergency  Hospital, 
Commissioner,"  answered  Tryon — "sick, 
wounded,  paralyzed.  A  bit  of  luck — 
planned  luck;  planned  by  somebody  else." 


JERKY  TRYON  CALLS  AT  MORNS  APARTMENTS; 
AND  READS  A  CABLEGRAM 

PROPPED  against  the  sugar  bowl  was  a 
morning  paper ;  Tryon  read  it  gloomily.  Op- 
posite him  Pelham  read  his  paper  on  this, 
the  second  morning  after  the  crime.  He 
turned  the  leaves  and  noticed  Try  on 's  face. 

"What's  new?"  demanded  Pelham.  "I 
waited  up  for  you  until  two  last  night,  but 
you  hadn't  come  in  then.  Any  develop- 
ments? Is  the  French  waiter  any  better?" 

"A  little  worse,  if  anything,"  grunted 
Tryon. 

"Well,  what  did  you  do  yesterday?" 

"Do?  What  could  I  do?  I  mulled  over 
the  proposition.  I  did  the  usual  obvious 
things — the  routine  things.  A  hundred  men 
from  the  force,  and  I  guess  as  many  more 

232 


LOOT  233 

private  detectives,  are  running  round  the 
city.  Lord,  I  had  to  do  something!  But  it 
won't  amount  to  anything.  I  know  that 
much.  As  if  routine  work  would  land  the 
Gray  Ghost  1  Land  him,  who  planned  every 
move  like  an  expert  chess  player !" 

He  gulped  some  coffee. 

"You  see,  Mr.  Pelham,  every  act  of  his 
was  planned;  planned  way  ahead.  If  I 
could  lay  my  finger  on  some  one  thing  that 
he  didn't  plan  ahead — but  where  is  it? 
Jacques,  who  could  have  tipped  me  off,  is 
practically  dead,  as  far  as  helping  me  is  con- 
cerned. The  woman  who  phoned  me  twice 
and  who  wrote  me  the  notes — there  was  the 
weak  spot,  Mr.  Pelham.  It  lay  in  the  hap- 
penings before  the  crime  was  committed,  in 
treachery.  But — he  must  have  tumbled  to 
it.  Of  course  he  did.  And  the  crime  itself, 
and  the  escape — nothing  there  for  me.  If  I 
could  only  find  some  one  who  had  seen  Will- 
iams— some  one  who  knew  him  outside  of 
Arabin's  before  the  crime !  But  I  can't,  and 
BO  one  has  come  forward  to  volunteer  the  in- 


234  LOOT 

formation.  Yet  Williams  must  have  con- 
ferred— if  not  with  the  Ghost  himself,  with 
some  high  agent  of  his.  If  I  could  trace  Will- 
iams— some  apparently  innocent  conversa- 
tion before  the  crime — some  little  meeting — 
but  I  can't." 

"What  about  the  assault  on  Jacques?" 
asked  Pelham.  "Who  was  the  woman  that 
gave  those  notes  to  him?" 

Tryon  snorted  disgustedly. 

"As  if  I  hadn't  wondered  that  a  hundred 
times  1" 

"Wondered  it — yes.  But  Jacques  had 
told  you  that  you'd  spoil  everything  if  you 
attempted  to  find  out  who  she  was.  You  took 
his  word  for  it;  you  didn't  try.  And  since 
Thursday  you've  forgotten  about  her.  At 
least  you've  not  thought  of  trying  to  find 
her,  have  you?" 

"The  Gray  Ghost  must  have  tumbled  to 
her;  that's  why  Jacques  was  laid  out,"  re- 
plied Tryon.  "He's  taken  care  of  her.  If 
she's  not  dead,  he's  got  her  hidden  away.  In- 
stead of  wasting  time  trying  to  find  her,  I've 


LOOT  235 

been  busy  thinking  of  him.  Jacques  had  no 
intimates  at  all.  No  one  seemed  to  know  of 
any  woman  friend  he  had.  He  was  never 
known  to  call  on  any  women  or  to  take  one 
out  anywhere.  That 's  according  to  his  land- 
lady and  the  waiters  at  Bishop's.  But,  any- 
way, if  I  know  anything  of  handwriting,  the 
woman  who  wrote  those  notes  was  a  lady. 
Ladies  don't  pal  round  with  waiters.  They, 
only  come  into  contact  with  waiters  at  res- 
taurants. Therefore,  it's  a  pretty  safe  bet 
that  she  handed  the  notes  to  Jacques  at 
Bishop's.  That's  where  she'd  see  him. 

"Of  course  she  might  have  mailed  them; 
but  Jacques'  landlady  said  that,  so  far  as  she 
could  remember,  Jacques  had  never  received 
a  letter  at  his  lodgings.  And  at  Bishop's 
they  mentioned,  as  proving  they  knew  little 
about  his  personal  affairs,  that  he  never  re- 
ceived any  letters  there.  She  must  have 
handed  them  to  him.  And  I'd  never  have 
thought  of  it  but  for  you.  .  .  .  "Well, 
let's  not  congratulate  each  other  too  soon. 
Care  to  come  along  with  me  to  Bishop's?" 


236  LOOT 

" Rather!"  exclaimed  Pelham. 

Bishop's  did  not  do  much  of  a  breakfast 
business;  at  least  those  who  breakfasted 
there  did  so  at  an  hour  that  approximated 
the  majority's  lunch-time,  and  the  manager 
was  free.  He  received  Tryon  and  his  com- 
panion at  once  and  evinced  every  willingness 
to  aid  the  detective.  At  Try  on 's  request  he 
summoned  several  head  waiters  and  cap- 
tains to  his  private  office.  One  by  one  Tryon 
questioned  them,  and  when  the  last  of  them 
had  departed  he  had  a  list  of  eleven  names 
on  paper. 

They  were  the  names  of  women  who  had 
shown  a  decided  partiality  for  Jacques,  who 
had  insisted  that  he  personally  look  after 
their  orders,  had  invited  suggestions  as  to 
their  orders  from  him.  Having  cautioned 
the  manager  to  keep  quiet  and  told  him  to  re- 
peat the  order  to  his  employees,  Tryon  led 
the  way  from  the  restaurant  and  in  the  lobby 
of  a  near-by  hotel  sat  down  and  looked  at  the 
list  studyingly. 


LOOT  237 

"We  can  cross  off  these  four,"  he  said  in- 
dicating them. 

"Why?" 

"Well,  three  of  them  are  the  wives  of  well- 
known  gamblers.  The  other  is  rather  no- 
torious." 

"  Just  the  sort  of  women  who — " 

"Think  harder,"  counseled  Try  on  dryly. 
"Would  the  Gray  Ghost  choose,  for  any  of 
his  gang,  notorious  people — people  in  the 
bad  books  of  the  police;  people  who  create 
suspicion  wherever  they're  seen;  who  cause 
their  companions  to  be  suspected  as  not  quite 
the  right  sort?  And  especially  wromen  of 
that  type?  Hardly!  We  needn't  bother 
with  these  four.  That  leaves  seven.  Well, 
there's  Mrs.  Billy  Crapaud.  Cross  her  off. 
Her  husband's  got  four  million  dollars  his 
father  left  him,  and  they're  a  silly  couple 
who  love  to  think  they're  Bohemians. 
Neither  she  nor  he  is  in  this  deal.  And  this 
Mrs.  Ellington — her  husband  is  the  dentist 
with  the  big  Broadway  practise.  She's  all 


238  LOOT 

right.  Silly  little  woman  with  peroxide 
hair.  I  know  them  both.  Count  her  out. 
That  leaves  five.  And  about  these  five — 
well,  come  on  with  me  while  I  have  a  little 
talk  with  four  of  them." 

"Do  you  expect  them  to  own  right  up?" 
inquired  Pelham  mischievously. 

"Whoever  slipped  those  notes  to  Jacques 
Intended  to  tip  me  to  the  whole  game,"  said 
Tryon  with  certainty.  "She  stopped,  let's 
say,  because  she  was  afraid  to  go  any  further. 
Why  was  she  afraid  to  go  any  further  ?  Be- 
cause Jacques  had  had  it  handed  to  him. 
Now  then,  if  she  wasn't  afraid  to  slip  me  the 
rest  of  the  works,  it  was  because  she  couldn't 
• — because  the  Gray  Ghost  has  silenced  her. 
And  the  woman  who  was  game  enough  to 
take  the  risk  of  double-crossing  him  could  be 
silenced  in  only  two  ways — by  kidnaping  or 
death.  I  don't  take  much  stock  in  the  afraid 
theory. 

"And  you'll  notice  that  I  said  I'd  talk 
with  four  of  them  ?  If  the  fifth  is  missing — 
Well,  we  can  do  some  thinking  then — that  is, 


.LOOT  239 

if  this  dope  we  're  following  is  the  right  stuff. 
Come  on!" 

He  used  a  simple  formula.  He  introduced 
himself  under  his  own  name  and  said  that  he 
understood  the  lady  on  whom  he  was  calling 
had  wished  to  see  him.  From  four  houses 
and  apartments  he  dismissed  himself  with 
apologies  for  his  mistake  and  a  promise  to 
make  it  unpleasant  for  the  person  who  had 
sent  him  on  a  wild-goose  chase.  At  the  fifth 
stop  it  was  not  necessary  to  make  apologies ; 
for  Morn  Light,  the  actress,  whose  name  had 
heen  last  upon  the  list  of  those  who  had 
shown  a  preference  for  Jacques'  services 
when  dining  at  Bishop's,  had  gone  away, 
said  the  bell  boy  of  the  Glenworth. 

No ;  she  had  not  given  up  her  apartment. 
He  understood  that  she  was  sick.  No;  he 
had  not  been  on  duty  when  Miss  Light  went 
away.  He  hadn't  seen  her  since  Monday 
afternoon,  when  she  went  out,  presumably 
on  her  way  to  dine  and  thence  to  the  theater. 
The  hall  boy  went  off.  duty  at  six  o'clock. 
Maybe  the  night  hall  boy  knew  something 


240  LOOT 

about  the  time  when  Miss  Light  had  gone 
away.  Yes ;  he  knew  the  night  hall  boy's  ad- 
dress— that  is,  the  old  one's;  the  one  who 
had  left  on  Monday  morning  and  never  come 
back.  He  wasn't  intimate  with  the  boy  who 
had  come  to  work  on  Tuesday  and  didn't 
know  his  address. 

Tryon  asked  for  the  superintendent  of  the 
apartment.  That  worthy  knew  nothing 
about  Miss  Light's  present  whereabouts.  He 
simply  knew  that  her  maid  had  told  him  that 
Miss  Light  had  left  The  Sunlight  Girl  Com- 
pany owing  to  a  nervous  indisposition,  of 
which  a  sprained  ankle  had  been  the  capping 
climax,  and  was  going  out  of  town  to  rest. 

This  was  on  Tuesday  morning.  Did  not 
the  hall  boy  remember  seeing  Miss  Light 
leave  on  Tuesday  ?  Well,  the  boy  might  have 
gone  outside  to  sneak  a  smoke;  such  things 
happen.  It  was  hardly  probable  that  Miss 
Light  had  left  while  the  night  boy  was  on 
duty,  at  before  six  in  the  morning.  The  day 
boy  simply  didn't  want  to  admit  that  any- 
thing could  have  occurred  of  which  he  was 


LOOT  241 

ignorant.  The  apartment?  Certainly  he'd 
show  the  gentleman  from  headquarters 
through  it. 

But  there  was  nothing  in  Miss  Light's 
apartment  to  give  any  proof  of  her  connec- 
tion with  the  mystery.  And,  as  the  superin- 
tendent protested,  it  was  natural  that  she 
should  go  away  without  giving  much  notice. 
Why  not  ?  She  rented  the  apartment  by  the 
year;  she  could  do  as  she  wished — stay,  or 
go  away  on  a  vacation.  What  was  the 
trouble  anyway  ? 

But  Try  on  returned  an  evasive  Answer  to 
this,  and  shortly  he  and  Pelham  left  the 
Glenworth.  The  young  millionaire  was  ex- 
cited. 

" Doesn't  it  look  as  though  she's  the  one  ?" 
he  asked. 

Tryon  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Not  yet.  It's  perfectly  natural  that  she 
shouldn't  make  a  fuss  about  going  away — 
that  is,  if  she's  really  sick.  Actresses  don't 
quit  playing  the  star  parts  in  successful 
shows  like  The  Sunlight  Girl  unless  they  are 


242  LOOT 

sick — or  in  love;  or  unless  she  were  mixed 
up  in  something  like  this  Arabin  affair.  And 
that  doesn't  seem  likely.  Still  it's  plausible 
enough  that  one  of  the  women  on  this  list 
slipped  the  notes  to  Jacques,  and  I?m  satis- 
fied it  was  none  of  the  others.  And  Jacques 
was  knocked  out  shortly  after  midnight  on 
Monday.  Miss  Light — if  the  hall  boy  tells 
the  truth — must  have  left  her  apartment  be- 
fore six  on  Tuesday  morning.  Some  connec- 
tion there,  eh  ? 

"  Still,  her  maid  saw  the  superintendent 
during  Tuesday  forenoon,  which  makes  it 
look  as  though  the  hall  boy  was  mistaken  and 
that  Miss  Light  left  during  the  forenoon. 
The  boy  may  have  gone  out  for  a  smoke,  as 
the  superintendent  suggests.  However,  if 
Miss  Light  did  leave  before  six  A.  MV  and  her 
maid  later  stalled  the  superintendent  so  he'd 
not  think  anything  funny  of  such  an  early 
departure — if  the  maid  remained  behind  to 
make  things  look'  natural — well,  the  night 
boy  who  quit  his  job  on  Tuesday  morning 


LOOT  243 

and  has  not  yet  returned  for  his  pay  might 
know  something,  eh?  We'll  look  him  up." 

But  the  ex-hall  boy  of  the  Glenworth  was 
not  at  the  address  given.  His  colored  land- 
lady said  that  he  had  come  to  his  room  on 
Tuesday  morning  and  packed  up  his  things, 
announcing  that  he  had  won  a  large  sum  in 
a  lottery  and  was  leaving  town.  No;  she 
had  no  idea  where  he'd  gone. 

11  Looks  funny,  doesn't  it?"  said  Pelham, 
as  they  left  the  Hell's  Kitchen  neighborhood 
where  the  missing  hall  boy  had  lived. 

"  There  still  are  lotteries  running,  you 
know/'  said  Try  on  warily,  "and  the  negroes 
play  them  a  lot.  I  don 't  know ;  but — let 's  go 
to  the  Vandergelt  Theater." 

But  ten  minutes'  conversation  with  the 
box-office  man  convinced  Try  on  that  he  had 
found  a  mare's  nest.  Doctor  Lawrence,  well 
known  to  the  theatrical  world — Doctor 
Adams  "W.  Lawrence — had  sent  a  note  to  the 
managers  of  the  theater  on  Tuesday  after- 
noon saying  that  Miss  Light  was  suffering 


244  LOOT 

from  nervous  breakdown  brought  on  by 
overwork  and  helped  to  its  crisis  by  her 
ankle  injury  of  Monday  night.  He  had  for- 
bidden her  to  continue  with  her  perform- 
ance, he  wrote,  and  had  ordered  her  to  go 
from  the  city.  "  Just  as  the  advertisements 
say,"  ended  the  box-office  man. 

"Well,  what  do  you  think?"  asked  Pel- 
ham  when  they  were  in  the  street  again. 

Tryon  grunted. 

"I  hate  to  think  that  your  idea — ours, 
then" — and  he  chuckled — "is  all  to  the  bad. 
It  looked  all  to  the  good.  Still,  the  hall  boy 
may  have  been  telling  the  truth  about  that 
lottery  business.  It  doesn't  necessarily  fol- 
low that  he  took  a  large  piece  of  money  for 
keeping  his  mouth  shut.  It  doesn't  seem  to 
me  that  the  Gray  Ghost  would  take  chances 
with  an  ignorant  negro  knowing  his  plans." 

"You  want  to  remember  that  evidently 
this  was  one  of  the  impulsive  things,  the 
things  not  planned — the  sort  of  thing  you 
were  looking  for.  He'd  have  to  take  chances 
then.  Besides,  the  hall  boy  may  not  have 


LOOT  245 

seen  anything  that  would  naturally  make 
him  connect  the  later  stunt  at  Arabia's  with 
Hiss  Light.  A  little  rough-house,  maybe, 
and  he  was  told  to  keep  his  mouth  shut,  and 
bribed;  and  told  to  leave  town." 

' '  Huh !  Maybe,  "said  Try  on.  *  '  Anyway, 
let's  call  on  Doctor  Lawrence." 

They  did  so ;  and  when  they  left  him  their 
hopes  that  they  were  on  the  right  scent  had 
risen  again,  for,  under  Try  on 's  aggressive 
questioning,  the  physician  yielded  some  in- 
formation that  might  be  important.  He 
said  smirkingly  that  he  always  liked  to 
oblige  the  ladies.  Miss  Light's  maid — Celia, 
he  thought  her  name  was — had  called  on  him 
Tuesday  morning.  She  had  said  that  her 
mistress  was  going  to  elope  with  a  young 
man  whose  father  was  a  multi-millionaire. 
They  wanted  to  keep  it  from  the  papers,  be- 
cause the  prospective  groom's  father  might 
be  very  angry.  They  wanted  to  break  it  to 
him  gently  later  on. 

Also,  the  young  couple  did  not  wish  to 
wait  any  longer.  But  Miss  Light  had  her 


246  LOOT 

contract  with  the  theatrical  company.  Only 
sickness  would  permit  her  to  break  that.  If 
she  tried  to  break  it  for  any  other  reason 
there  might  be  newspaper  talk  leading  to  the 
discovery  of  her  marriage.  Would  Doctor 
Lawrence  write  a  certificate  stating  that 
Miss  Light  was  too  ill  to  act  and  must  go 
away  for  a  rest?  And  the  physician  had 
done  so.  He  hoped  that  the  detective — 
Tryon  had  mentioned  his  profession — would 
not  find  it  necessary  to  confer  undesirable 
publicity  upon  a  man  who  had  erred  merely 
because  of  his  desire  to  help  a  most  estimable 
young  woman  achieve  happiness.  It  was  a 
fishy  yarn. 

Tryon  merely  grunted  a  disgusted  re- 
sponse to  his  plea  and  departed  with  Pel- 
ham. 

"How  about  it  now?"  demanded  Pelham. 

"I  think  enough  of  it,"  replied  the  detec- 
tive, "to  have  a  search  instituted  for  that 
hall  boy.  If  we  could  find  him  and — well, 
even  though  he  has  four  days'  start,  it  ought 
not  to  be  difficult  to  locate  a  bow-legged 


LOOT  247 

negro  youth  whose  face  is  pitted  by  smallpox 
and  who  has  a  permanently  twisted  neck. 
Cinch,  eh?" 

It  was  too;  for  no  sooner  had  Tryon 
finished  describing,  over  the  telephone  to  a 
headquarters  detective,  the  details  that  he 
wanted  wired  to  every  police  chief  in  the 
country,  than  the  answer  came. 

"Why,  you  needn't  look  any  farther  than 
the  morgue,  Lieutenant  Tryon.  You've  been 
away  from  the  department  and  wouldn't  be 
likely  to  know ;  but  a  negro  who  exactly  an- 
swers that  description  was  found  floating  in 
the  East  River  on  Wednesday  with  his  head 
caved  in." 

Tryon  repeated  the  news  to  Pelham. 

"That,"  said  the  detective,  awed,  "is  how 
the  Gray  Ghost  cures  the  weak  spots." 

"Yes,"  rejoined  Pelham  excitedly;  "but 
it's  proved  one  thing,  hasn't  it? — that  Miss 
Morn  Light  is  the  woman  we  want?" 

"Yes,"  said  Tryon ;  "and  all  we  have  to  do 
is  find  her.  All  Peary  had  to  do  was  find  the 
North  Pole,  you  know.  Very  soft !" 


248  LOOT 

"But  her  friends—" 

When  that  morning  had  merged  into 
afternoon,  and  afternoon  had  rolled  into 
evening,  and  evening  had  become  late  night, 
Tryon  had  learned  one  certain  fact — Morn 
Light  had  not  a  single  known  intimate  in 
the  city.  Acquaintances,  fellow  actresses 
who  occasionally  lunched  or  dined  with  her ; 
but  no  one  else.  It  was  true  there  were  peo- 
ple who  had  called  on  her  at  the  Glenworth 
— men;  but  who  were  these  men?  Their 
names  were  Smith,  Jones,  Brown,  Eobinson, 
Clarke  and  the  like — commonplace  names. 
At  least,  such  were  the  names  her  callers  had 
given  to  the  day  hall  boy  at  the  Glenworth. 
And  who  could  pick  the  right  Smith,  Jones, 
Brown  or  Robinson  from  the  many  in  the 
city  who  bore  those  names,  even  assuming — 
what  probably  was  not  the  fact — that  those 
visitors  gave  their  right  names  ? 

In  Morn  Light  lay  the  solution  of  the 
Gray  Ghost's  identity.  Of  that  Tryon  was 
now  certain.  But  those  people  of  the  thea- 
trical world  who  knew  her  could  give  him 


LOOT  249 

no  real  information,  themselves  possessed 
none,  being  patently  innocent  of  any  connec- 
tion with  the  Gray  Ghost.  And  her  myster- 
ious men  callers,  who  never  dined  out  with 
her,  so  far  as  Try  on  could  learn — and  a  hun- 
dred men  had  been  working  for  hours  on 
this  new  angle  of  the  case — not  one  of  them 
was  known  to  Morn's  theatrical  friends. 

Weary,  baffled,  at  about  eleven  o'clock 
Tryon  went  down  to  headquarters  to  give  his 
personal  scrutiny  to  what  new  data  had 
come  in.  But  there  was  only  one  thing  that 
stood  out  as  really  important.  This  was  a 
cablegram  that  had  been  sent  to  Arabin  and 
had  been  turned  over  to  the  police.  It  was 
from  Brenner  Carlow  in  London  and  voiced 
his  extreme  anxiety.  It  read : 

"Just  read  of  robbery.  Did  Hildreth  get 
necklace  ?  Answer. ' ' 

Tryon  knew  the  necklace  to  which  Carlow 
referred,  of  course.  He  called  for  a  cable 
blank  and  wrote : 


250  LOOT 


is  Hildreth?    .Wire  full  details  at 
once.   Necklace  lost." 

He  signed  Brainerd's  name  to  the  mes- 
sage ;  then,  leaving  orders  that  any  reply  to 
it  should  be  telephoned  to  him  the  moment 
it  arrived,  he  went  disconsolately  home  to 
Pelham's  house  —  and  so,  as  Mr.  Pepys 
would  say,  to  bed. 


CHAPTER  XVi 

'JIMMY   PELHAM   POINTS    OUT   £   [WEAK   SPOT; 
TRYON  TOUCHES  IT 

A  SERVANT  interrupted  a  silent  breakfast 
on  Sunday  morning  to  tell  Tryon  that  he 
was  wanted  on  the  telephone.  The  instru- 
ment was  in  the  hall  outside  the  dining-room, 
and  from  it  in  a  moment  Tryon  called  for 
pencil  and  paper.  Pelham  leaped  from  his 
chair  and  provided  his  guest  with  the  re- 
quested writing  materials.  Then  he  re- 
turned to  his  breakfast  and  the  Sunday 
newspapers.  He  heard  Tryon  order  who- 
ever spoke  to  him  to  repeat  something  slow- 
ly, and  heard  the  detective's  pencil  move 
across  the  paper. 

"'Signed  Carlo w, '"  said  the  detective 
finally.  Then:  ' 'Get  busy,  Rafter!  I  want 
a  report  on  this  Hildreth  in  one  hour — no 

251 


252  LOOT 

less.  If  lie's  registered  at  any  hotel  in  New 
York  you  should  find  it  out  in  that  time.  I  '11 
be  here  waiting  for  your  report." 

He  rang  off  and  reentered  the  dining- 
room. 

" Well?"  said  Pelham. 

Tryon  placed  before  him  the  paper  on 
which  he  had  taken  down  the  telephone  mes- 
sage. Pelham  read  it  eagerly.; 

"Brainerd,  Police,  New  York :  Wade  Hil- 
dreth,  London  solicitor  connected  with  firm 
handles  my  affairs  here  sailed  Lucantia  due 
last  Monday  intended  return  St.  Louis 
Thursday  held  my  proxy  for  stockholders' 
meeting  New  York  &  Middle  Western  also 
two  million  check  payable  Arabin  for  neck- 
lace mailed  pictures  of  him  same  time  so  no 
hitch  about  identification  or  right  to  receive 
necklace  shade  under  six  feet  light  hair  blue 
eyes  smooth-shaved  good  color  straight  nose 
large  mouth  cleft  chin  high  forehead  muscu- 
lar weight  about  one  seventy  keep  quiet 
about  proxy  matter  as  understand  meeting 
postponed  and  will  request  New  York  attor- 


LOOT  253 

neys  to  handle  matter  if  Hildreth  is  missing 
spare  no  expense  offer  reward  any  reason- 
able amount  for  his  discovery  fear  foul  play 
as  absolutely  honest  keep  me  informed. 
Signed  Carlow." 

"What  do  you  make  of  it?"  asked  Tryon. 

"You  don't  think,"  hazarded  Pelham, 
"that  this  Hildreth  could  have  been  mixed 
up  with  the  Ghost?" 

"You  mean  one  of  his  gang?"  Tryon 
shook  his  head.  "I'm  willing  to  concede 
that  the  Ghost  has  brains  and  that  he's  al- 
mighty lucky  too;  but  it's  too  much  to  be- 
lieve that  either  brains  or  luck  made  it  pos- 
sible for  him  to  plant  one  of  his  gang  in  the 
office  of  Carlow 's  London  attorneys  and 
have  that  member  of  his  gang  chosen  as  Car- 
low 's  messenger  to  retrieve  the  necklace  Ar- 
abin  has  been  constructing  for  Carlow.  Hil- 
dreth may  have  been  mixed  up  with  the 
Ghost,  but  not  as  an  ally.  The  Ghost  may 
have  put  him  out  of  the  way." 

"How  could  he  have  known  of  Hildreth 's 


254  LOOT 

coming  ?  I  don't  imagine  Carlow  advertised 
it,  did  he?" 

"Carlow  says  that  he  sent  pictures  of  Hil- 
dreth  to  Arabia,  doesn't  he?  Yet  Arabin 
said  last  night  that  he  didn't  understand 
Carlow 's  cable ;  that  he  had  received  no  pre- 
vious word  from  Carlow.  Yet  letters  don't 
of  ten  go  astray,  do  they?  [Well  then?" 

" Williams,"  said  Pelham  softly. 

"Sure  thing!"  said  Tryon.  "Williams, 
we  know,  opened  all  of  Arabin 's  mail.  Per- 
fect cinch  for  him  to  hold  back  anything  if 
he  chose,  eh  ?  And  we  know  that  the  robbery 
of  Arabin 's  wasn't  any  haphazard  affair, 
planned  in  a  moment.  It  was  the  outcome  of 
a  long-planned  scheme.  Undoubtedly  the 
day  had  been  fixed  weeks  ahead — and  the 
very  hour.  The  time  and  date  wouldn't  be 
changed  if  the  Ghost  could  avoid  it.  Such 
a  change  might  seem  a  minor  thing,  but  it 
might  prove  mighty  important.  The  Ghost, 
I  imagine,  wants  things  to  go  through  on 
schedule.  Well  then,  he  learns  from  Will- 
iams that  Carlow  is  sending  a  man  over  for 


LOOT  255 

the  necklace  and  that  the  man  would  arrive 
last  Monday. 

"Arabia  has  told  us  that  the  necklace  was 
finished  a  week  or  so  earlier  than  was  ex- 
pected. Undoubtedly,  in  his  original  plan, 
the  Ghost  had  contemplated  capturing  that 
necklace/  He  knew  that  the  Arabin  work- 
shops are  in  a  different  building  from  the 
store.  He'd  not  want  to  plan  two  robberies 
at  the  same  time,  and  he  couldn't  hope  to 
rob  the  workrooms  after  robbing  the  store, 
or  vice  versa.  And  he  knew — through  Will- 
iams, of  course — that  the  necklace  wouldn't 
be  brought  from  the  shops — and  the  shops 
are  mighty  well  guarded  too—  until  entirely 
finished.  But  he  probably  wanted  that  neck- 
lace. Two  million  dollars'  worth  of 
diamonds  was  worth  while  planning  for.  So 
he  fixed  a  date  on  which  it  was  pretty  certain 
that  the  necklace  would  be  either  in  the  pri- 
vate safe  or  in  the  vaults. 

"Then  he  learns  that  the  workmen  have 
been  quicker  than  he  expected  and  a  mes- 
senger is  coming  to  snatch  the  prize  away. 


256  LOOT 

He  couldn't  change  the  date  of  his  opera- 
tions so  as  to  snatch  the  necklace  before  Hil- 
dreth  arrived.  What  would  he  naturally 
do?  "What,  considering  that  Hildreth's 
coming  was  kept  from  Arabin's  knowledge, 
is  the  natural  assumption  that  he  did  do  ?" 

"Snatched  Hildreth  away,"  answered 
Pelham. 

"Exactly!  Carlow  says  Hildreth  is  hon- 
est. We've  got  to  believe  that  he  is.  But  he 
doesn't  arrive  at  Arabin's  store  at  all.  You'd 
naturally  expect  that  he'd  have  dropped  into 
Arabin's  on  Tuesday  anyway.  And  as  the 
St.  Louis  sails  at  ten  in  the  morning  he'd 
have  had  to  be  at  Arabin's  round  nine  on 
Thursday  to  get  the  necklace.  Too  early  for 
the  Gray  Ghost's  plans.  Oh,  the  Ghost 
nicked  him,  all  right.  If  he  hadn't — " 

The  telephone  interrupted  his  reasoning. 
Tryon  answered  it  and  came  back  in  a  mo- 
ment. 

"This  is  a  fine  note,"  he  said  to  Pelham. 
"It  was  easy  to  locate  where  Hildreth  went 
on  arriving  in  New  York.  Name  and  de- 


LOOT  257 

scription  both  fit.  He  went  to  the  Batten- 
berg.  The  clerk  just  told  Captain  Kenney 
over  the  telephone  that  a  room  was  engaged 
for  Mr.  Wade  Hildreth  on  last  Monday.  A 
man  who  said  he  was  a  clerk  at  Arabin's 
store  engaged  it  in  Arabin's  name  for  Hil- 
dreth. Hildreth  didn't  take  the  room  as- 
signed to  him,  but  took  one  on  a  lower  floor. 
That  doesn't  seem  to  mean  much,  though.  He 
didn't  like  elevators,  the  clerk  said.  Hil- 
dreth dined  alone ;  about  eight  he  asked  the 
way  to  the  Vandergelt  Theater  and  went  out. 
He  didn't  come  back;  but  next  morning, 
Tuesday,  the  same  guy  who  had  engaged  the 
room,  the  man  who  said  he  was  a  clerk  from 
Arabin's,  came  down  to  the  Battenberg  and 
said  that  Mr.  Hildreth  had  decided  to  stop  at 
Mr.  Arabin's  house  during  his  stay  in  New 
York.  Brought  a  note  from  Hildreth  ask- 
ing that  the  man  be  given  his  things. 

"It  seemed  plausible  enough,  and  the 
clerk — quick-witted  guy  he  is  too — com- 
pared the  handwriting  of  the  note  with 
Hildreth 's  writing  on  the  register,  and  gave 


258  LOOT 

Ug  tHe  Englishman's  things  at  once.  The 
man  paid  for  the  room  and  drove  off  with 
Jlildreth's  bags  in  an  automobile  and  the 
clerk  promptly  forgot  all  about  Hildreth. 
iWhy  wouldn't  he?  Arabin's  clerk  had  en- 
gaged the  room  and  Arabin's  clerk  came  to 
get  Hildreth 's  things.  Nothing  fishy  about 
that  and  nothing  in  it  to  make  the  clerk  later 
think  that  there  was  any  connection  be- 
tween this  piece  of  business  and  the  looting 
Of  the  jeweler's  store." 

"How  do  you  suppose  they  were  able  to 
imitate  Hildreth 's  handwriting?"  asked 
!Pelham. 

"[Well,  it's  perfectly  natural  to  suppose 
that  the  Gray  Ghost,  along  with  his  other 
talents,  can  do  a  little  forging,  isn't  it?  If 
lie  can't  he's  probably  got  round  him  a  few 
men  who  are  handy  with  a  pen.  They'd  be 
rather  necessary  at  times.  And  they  had 
plenty  of  opportunity  to  study  Hildreth 's 
signature  on  the  register.  Anybody  could 
fiip  the  leaves  of  that.  Or,  Hildreth  may 


LOOT  259 

have  had  some  writing  of  his  own  on  his  per- 
son. That's  simple  enough.  But  what  have 
they  done  with  him?  It  isn't  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  Gray  Ghost  would  burden 
himself  with  a  prisoner.  He  might  do  so 
with  a  woman  like  Miss  Light,  but  hardly 
with  a  man.  He  'd  put  him  out  of  the  way. 

"Yet,  so  far  as  I  know,  there's  been  no 
man  answering  his  description  turned  up  as 
the  victim  of  any  crime  or  accident.  And 
last  night,  realizing  from  the  murder  of  that 
hall  boy  that  I  might  find  other  clews — I 
didn't  know  what,  but  I  spent  a  little  time 
on  the  off  chance — I  went  over  the  descrip- 
tions of  all  the  persons  that  are  known  to  the 
police  to  have  died  violent  or  mysterious 
'deaths  since  the  beginning  of  the  week.  But 
nobody  that  I  can  remember  now  was  at  all 
like  this  description  of  Hildreth.  But  any- 
way, my  brain's  buzzing  with  descriptions, 
like  I  said  the  whole  force  would  be.  Eead 
Carlow  says  about  Hildreth." 

Pelham  stared  at  the  words  Tryon  had 


260  LOOT 

written.  He  repeated  the  part  of  Carlow's 
cable  that  described  Hildreth,  aloud.  He 
repeated  it  a  second  time. 

"I  may  be  all  off,  Jerry,"  he  said;  "but 
'doesn't  it  sound  like  the  description  of  the 
man  Daly?" 

.Tryon  pounced  on  the  paper.  He  read  it 
again. 

"Daly?  It  sure  does  sound  like  him,  Mr. 
Pelham.  More  than  that — it  is  he !  And  the 
check  boy  to  whom  Daly  refused  to  sur- 
render his  hat  and  coat  said  he  talked  like  a 
Bostonian.  Broad  'a,'  you  know.  Well, 
that  would  be  English,  too.  .  .  .  But — 
great  grief ! — Mr.  Pelham,  why  should  Hil- 
dreth call  himself  Daly?" 

"We  know  that  Hildreth  went  to  the  Yan- 
dergelt  Theater,"  suggested  Pelham.  "We 
know  that  Morn  Light  was  playing  at  that 
theater.  We  are  pretty  certain  that  Morn 
Light  knew  something  about  the  Gray  Ghost 
and  that  she  was  passing  along  information 
to  you — intended  to  pass  on  more.  We  know 
that  that  information  passed  through  the 


LOOT  261 

hands  of  Jacques.  Now  then,  if  Hildreth 
was  Daly,  and  was  in  a  private  room  to 
which  he  had  been  conducted  by  Jacques, 
had  gone  to  Bishop's  under  a  false  name — • 
isn't  there  a  connection  there?" 

Tryon  stroked  his  chin. 

"There 're  only  two  reasons  why  a  man 
like  Hildreth  should  assume  a  false  name," 
he  said  slowly.  "One  is  that  he  might  be  a 
crook.  Carlow's  cable  and  our  own  common 
sense  make  us  drop  that  idea.  The  other 
reason  would  be  that  he  did  it  out  of  fear 
or  caution.  Hildreth,  the  Vandergelt,  Morn 
Light!  .  .  .  Morn  Light  and  Jacques 
the  waiter !  .  .  .  Jacques  and  Hildreth ! 

"Morn  Light,  unless  we're  way  off.  our 
trolley,  was  warning  me.  She  might  have 
warned  Hildreth.  Might  have  sent  him  to 
Jacques — but  Daly  got  away  I  A  taxi  chauf- 
feur told  the  police,  when  questioned,  that  he 
had  driven  the  man  answering  to  Daly's  de- 
scription— and  also  to  Hildreth 's — to  the 
Pennsylvania  Station  at  just  about  the  time 
the  strangers  went  up  to  the  private  dining- 


262  LOOT 

room  at  Bishop's  after  inquiring  for  Mr. 
Daly.  If  Daly  was  Hildreth,  and  made  his 
getaway,  what's  kept  him  silent  from  early 
Tuesday  morning  to  to-day,  Sunday?" 

"But  you  have  only  the  words  of  a  chauf- 
feur and  a  door  porter  at  Bishop's  that  Daly 
was  driven  to  the  Pennsylvania  Station. 
And  on  Tuesday  morning  the  police  ques- 
tioned all  the  station  attaches  who  had  been 
on  duty  at  the  time  when  Daly  was  driven  up 
there.  No  one  remembered  seeing  a  man  of 
that  description.  He  hadn't  bought  a  ticket 
anywhere." 

"He  might  have  had  a  ticket  already,"  ob- 
jected Tryon. 

"If  he  were  really  a  man  named  Daly,  and 
not  [Wade  Hildreth,  an  Englishman,  a 
Stranger  in  this  city  and  country !  But  what 
would  Hildreth  be  doing  with  a  ticket  on  the 
Pennsylvania  road  ?  If  Daly  were  Hildreth 
and  went  out  of  town,  would  he,  a  man 
trusted  with  important  work  by  Brenner 
Oarlow,  be  the  sort  of  man  to  remain  hidden 


LOOT  263 

and  silent  when  he  had  his  duty  to  do? 
Especially  since  the  robbery  of  Thursday?" 
"But,  granting  that  Daly  was  Hildreth," 
said  Try  on,  "and  that  the  Gray  Ghost  had 
discovered,  that  the  Gray  Ghost's  gang  had 
learned  that  Hildreth  was  at  Bishop's  and 
went  there  after  him,  and,  not  getting  him 
there,  slugged  Jacques  because  they  were 
suspicious  of  him,  and  then  went  after  Hil- 
dreth. Grant  that.  Yet  Hildreth  was  taken 
to  the  Pennsylvania  Station.  And  a  kid- 
naping couldn't  occur  there,  even  in  the  late 
hours,  without  people  noticing  it,  you  know. 
Yet  Hildreth,  if  it  is  Hildreth  whose  move- 
ments we  are  figuring,  was  set  down  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Station.  And  there's  no  rec- 
ord of  his  being  attacked  there ;  nor  any  dis- 
turbance on  any  train.  Of  course  he  might 
have  been  captured  at  some  station,  some 
town,  along  the  Pennsylvania's  lines;  but 
why  was  he  there  I  Why  did  he  go  there  ? 
Of  course  Jacques  may  have  warned  him  to 
go  out  of  town,  but  it  doesn't  seem  likely  that 


264  LOOT 

Hildreth  would  obey  such  a  warning.  He'd 
be  more  likely  to  go  to  the  police  if  he  knew 
something  was  up  than  to  run  out  of  town." 
"  Why  assume  that  he  even  started  for  out 
of  town?"  questioned  Pelham.  "As  I  said 
a  moment  ago,  you  have  only  the  words  of 
the  porter  and  chauffeur  that  he  did  drive  to 
the  Pennsylvania  Station.  Logic  suggests 
that  Daly  was  Hildreth.  Logic  tells  us  that 
Hildreth  wouldn't  be  likely,  a  stranger  in 
this  country,  to  take  a  train  out  of  town  at 
an  hour  after  midnight,  attired  in  evening 
clothes.  Logic  tells  us  that  there's  a  pos- 
sibility that  the  chauffeur  and  porter  lied. 
If  Daly  was  Hildreth,  and  not  a  party  to  the 
assault  on  Jacques,  it  is  certain  that  he 
would  have  communicated  with  the  police 
before  this  if  he  was  able.  If  he  was  one  of 
the  Gray  Ghost's  gang — well,  in  that  case 
our  reasoning  falls  flat.  But  does  it  seem 
plausible  that  he  was  one  of  the  gang?  His 
description — Hildreth's  having  gone  to  the 
theater  where  Morn  Light  was  playing,  and 
then  this  man  who  looked  so  like  Hildreth 


LOOT  265 

having  been  closeted  with  Jacques — what 
does  logic  tell  you,  Jerry?" 

"About  what  it's  told  you,  Mr.  Pelham," 
said  the  lieutenant.  ' t  But  there 's  something 
that's  a  whole  lot  more  dependable  in  police 
work  than  logic. " 

"What's  that?" 

"The  third  degree,"  said  Try  on.  "You 
never  saw  it  worked?  It's  interesting.  And 
you're  entitled  to  take  a  slant  at  its  work- 
ings, I  think.  Wait  till  I  use  the  telephone 
and  have  that  chauffeur  rounded  up,  and  the 
porter,  too.  Then  we'll  ride  down-town." 

It  was  noon  before  the  chauffeur  who 
claimed  to  have  driven  Daly  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Station  on  the  night  of  the  assault  on 
Jacques  was  brought  to  headquarters.  But 
the  side-door  porter  at  Bishop's  had  been 
apprehended  an  hour  earlier  and  had  con- 
fessed, before  the  chauffeur's  arrival,  that 
he  had  been  given  a  hundred  dollars  by  a 
stranger  to  say,  if  he  was  questioned,  that  he 
had  heard  the  man  answering  to  the  descrip- 
tion of  Daly  order  that  he  be  driven  to  the 


266  LOOT 

Pennsylvania  Station.  The  porter  did  not 
know  the  man  who  had  asked  him  to  do  this ; 
he  only  knew  that  he  had  received  a  hundred 
"dollars  for  so  doing,  and  had  been  promised 
that  if  he  said  anything  else  he  would  regret 
It  very  soon. 

Confronted  by  this  confession  the  taxi 
chauffeur  broke  down.  He  said  that  he  had 
been  accosted,  on  his  return  to  Bishop's 
after  discarding  his  fare,  by  a  man  who  gave 
him  two  hundred  dollars  on  condition  that 
he  make  the  statement  he  had  since  made  to 
the  police.  He,  too,  had  been  threatened. 
He  had  assumed  that  some  gamblers'  war 
was  in  progress  and  he  did  not  care  to  be 
mixed  up  in  it.  He  thought  that  the  best 
thing  he  could  do  was  to  keep  his  mouth 
shut.  He  had  known  of  chauffeurs  who 
talked  too  freely  after  deeds  of  violence  had 
been  committed,  and  those  chauffeurs  later 
'figured  as  unfortunate  principals  in  other 
deeds  of  violence.  He  had  conferred  with 
the  door  porter  and  both  of  them  had  de- 
cided to  pocket  their  bribes  and  do  as  they 


LOOT  267 

were  told.  Doing  as  one  had  been  told  was 
often  profitable  in  the  Tenderloin.  Squeal- 
ing to  the  police  was  quite  the  antithesis  of 
profitable.  The  chauffeur  told  the  truth 
now.  He  had  driven  the  man  who,  under  the 
name  of  Daly,  had  occupied  the  private 
dining-room  with  Jacques  to  the  Glenworth 
Apartments  I 

"[WTiere  Morn  Light  lived!"  ejaculated 
Pelham. 

Tryon  nodded  grimly ;  his  eyes  blazed  with 
excitement. 

"Now  then,"  he  addressed  the  shrinking 
frightened  chauffeur,  "the  porter  says  that 
he  had  never  before  seen  the  man  who  had 
bribed  him.  He  says  that  he  was  stocky  and 
stout.  Is  that  the  way  you'd  describe  the 
man  who  accosted  you?" 

The  chauffeur  nodded. 

"Had  you  ever  seen«him  before?"  queried 
Tryon. 

"Listen,  boss,"  whimpered  the  chauffeur. 
"You  know  what  a  squealer  gets  in  this 
burg,  don 't  you  ?  Ain  't  I  told  you  enough  f ' ' 


268  LOOT 

"And  you'll  have  a  chance  to  learn  what 
happens  to  a  man  who  refuses  information 
to  the  police, "  threatened  Tryon.  "I  can 
put  you  in  a  cell  and  keep  you  there  until 
you've  forgotten  what  a  taxi  looks  like,  you 
know!  Loosen  up — quick!  Had  you  ever 
seen  this  man  before  ?  Bid  you  know  him  1  ' ' 

"I  don't  know  him,"  said  the  chauffeur, 
"but  I'd  seen  him  before.  He — I  was 
hangin'  round  in  front  of  the  Yandergelt 
earlier  in  the  evening  hopin'  for  a  fare,  and 
this  same  man  comes  out  and  has  me  drive 
him  to  Patello's  restaurant.  But  that's  the 
only  time  in  my  life  I  ever  saw  him  before, 
boss ;  and  that's  gospel  1" 

He  seemed  to  be  telling  the  truth  now  and 
Tryon  ordered  him  taken  to  a  cell,  along 
with  the  porter,  pending  his  decision  as  to 
what  should  be  done  with  them.  They  might 
prove  very  valuable  witnesses. 

Outside,  in  the  swift  roadster,  on  their 
way  to  Patello's  restaurant,  Pelham  cried 
excitedly: 

"It  looks  as  though  you're  on  the  track, 


LOOT  269 

Jerry!  Tell  me,  you  don't  think  for  a  min- 
ute that  that  porter  and  that  chauffeur  were 
in  the  gang?" 

" They'd  never  have  talked  if  they  were," 
grunted  Try  on.  ' 1  That 's  where  I  'm  landing 
— in  the  only  way  I  could  land — hy  finding  a 
weak  spot  before  the  crime.  With  your  help, 
Mr.  Pelham.  No;  those  two  men  aren't  in 
the  gang.  But  something  happened — the  as- 
sault on  Jacques — the  flight  of  Daly — of 
Hildreth,  for  I'm  certain  they're  one  and  the 
same  now — that  hadn't  been  expected, 
hadn't  been  planned  for.  The  old  tried  tools 
couldn't  be  used.  The  porter  and  the  chauf- 
feur knew  something — where  Hildreth  had 
gone.  It  didn't  seem  necessary,  probably,  to 
bump  them  off  the  way  the  Glenworth  hall 
boy  was  used.  Restaurant  people  and  chauf- 
feurs in  the  Tenderloin  are  used  to  queer 
happenings  and  usually  a  piece  of  money 
will  seal  their  lips.  They  don't  want  any 
bad  actors  after  them.  So  they  were  bribed. 
They  are  the  weak  points  in  the  Ghost's  ma- 
chine, the  weak  points  I've  prayed  for," 


270  LOOT 

"But  if  this  Daly-Hildreth  drove  to  the 
Glenworth — "  began  Pelham. 

But  Tryon  cut  him  short. 

"If  Daly  was  Hildreth  and  got  the  tip  to 
go  to  Bishop's,  Jacques  could  have  told  him 
what  little  Jacques  knew;  could  have  told 
him  that  Morn  Light  knew  more.  Somehow 
the  Gray  Ghost  tumbled  to  the  warnings 
that  had  been  given  Hildreth.  Hildreth  es- 
caped from  Bishop's.  He  drove  to:  Miss 
Light's  apartment.  Heaven  knows  why! 
But  he  went  there.  From  the  side-door 
porter  the  gang  that  had  settled  Jacques 
learned  where  Hildreth  had  gone.  They, 
went  up  there,  too. 

"What  followed — whether  Hildreth  and 
Morn  Light  were  killed — there's  no  need  for 
us  taking  any  stock  in  what  Miss  Light's 
maid  told  Doctor  Lawrence — or  whether 
they  were  kidnaped — well,  the  night  hall  boy 
could  perhaps  have  told  us  something  about 
that.  But  evidently  the  Ghost  was  afraid 
that  a  negro  hall  boy  couldn't  keep  his  mouth 
;  closed,  IWe  know  what  happened  to  the 


LOOT  271 

young  negro.  But  the  chauffeur  and  the 
porter — well,  the  Ghost  evidently  didn't 
want  too  many  killings  pulled  off  before  he'd 
attended  to  the  Arabin  matter. 

"A  wave  of  crime,  violent  crime,  always 
causes  the  police  to  be  extra  watchful — > 
about  everything.  He  thought  he  could 
safely  trust  the  Tenderloin  instinct — which 
is  never  to  give  information  about  any  one 
to  the  police,  lest  your  relatives  report  you) 
missing — of  the  chauffeur  and  porter.  He 
slipped  up  there.  It  was  a  little  matter,  un- 
connected, he  thought,  with  the  Arabin 
affair  or  with  any  of  his  doings.  And  so  it 
would  have  been  but  for  the  fact  that  Morn 
Light — or  some  woman,  but  we  know  prettyj 
well  it  was  she — was  already  giving  out  in- 
formation about  him.  If  I  land  Jiim  at  all—* 
well,  it  will  be  because  of  her  and  Jacques. 
.  .  .  Well,  let's  hear  what  Patello  can 
tell  me." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

JERRY  TRYON   TALKS  WITH  A  RESTAURATEUR; 

AND  A  HOTEL  CLERK ;  AND  PELHAM 

LISTENS 

ENRICO  PATELLO,  proprietor  of  the  res- 
taurant that  bore  his  name,  turned  a  nor- 
mally sour  face  toward  his  visitors  and  tried 
to  smile.  He  did  a  fair  business  on  week- 
days, but  his  Sunday  trade  was  practically 
nothing  at  all ;  so  it  was  policy,  though  diffi- 
cult for  one  of  his  disposition,  to  seem  cor- 
dial to  whomever  patronized  him  to-day. 
But  Tryon  bruskly  waved  aside  Patello's 
suggestion  as  to  a  well-situated  table. 

"  We  didn't  come  to  eat,  Patello,"  he  said. 
"We  came  to  get  a  little  information  from 
you.  My  name  is  Tryon;  I'm  from  head- 
quarters. I  want  to  know  if  you  can  tell  me 
the  name  of  a  short  stout  man  that  was  here 

272 


LOOT  273 

— well,  lie  was  here  last  Monday;  night  at 
about  eleven." 

Patello  sneered. 

"Does  the  signor  think  me  a  camera?"  he 
demanded.  ' ' How  should  I  know  who  comes 
here  ?  My  business  is  to  feed  people,  not  spy; 
on  them." 

Tryon  laughed. 

"A  man  isn't  a  spy  because  he  recognizes 
his  customers,  is  he?"  He  fixed  the  Italian 
with  hard  eyes.  "I  haven't  a  moment  to 
waste  to-day,  Patello,"  he  said.  "You've 
read  about  me  in  the  papers,  eh  ?  You  know 
what  case  I'm  on,  I  think.  Well,  then,  you 
can  understand  that  I'm  in  no  mood  to  waste 
any  time  with  you.  Now  then,  the  restau- 
rant business  isn't  any  too  good  for  you  these 
days,  considering  that  you  haven't  any  cab- 
aret— is  it  ?  But  it's  better  than  loafing  in  a 
cell  while  your  business  goes  to  pot,  eh  ?  And 
that  last  is  exactly  what  you'll  be  doing,  be- 
ginning within  twenty  minutes,  if  you  can't 
tell  me  who  that  man  is. 

"Now,  it's  too  bad  if  you  really  don't 


274  LOOT 

know  who  this  fat  man  is,  Patello.  If  you 
don't  you'll  go  to  jail  through  no  fault  of 
your  own,  just  the  same  as  if  you  were  the 
ugly  cuss  you've  the  reputation  of  being. 
For  I'm  a  hard  man  when  I  want  to  be, 
Patello.  I  don't  take  no  for  an  answer  when 
I  want  yes.  You  understand  me  ?  I  thought 
so.  Well  then,  do  you  think  you  can  possi- 
bly tell  me  the  name  of  the  short  stout  man 
who  came  in  here  Monday  night  ?  Can  you 
remember  that  far  back?  If  you  can't,  say 
so  right  on0,  and  I'll  ring  for  a  wagon  to  take 
you  down-town.  If  you  can,  speak  up,  and 
maybe  I  won't  send  for  that  wagon." 

The  sneer  had  left  Patello 's  face;  he  was 
cowed. 

"The  signor  is  harsh,"  he  said;  "but  if  I 
can  aid  him  I  will.  How  was  this  stout  man 
dressed?" 

"Black  derby,  grayish-checked  light  over- 
coat, brown  suit  underneath." 

"His  name  is  Ashby,"  said  Patello.  "He 
used  to  come  here  quite  often — he  and  his 
friends." 


LOOT  275 

"Oh!  He  had  friends,  eh?  Were  they 
with  him  Monday  night  ?" 

"One  entered  with  him;  another  was  here 
already.  But,  signor,  I  do  not  understand. 
These  are  respectable  patrons  of  my  place. 
t5Tet  you  hint  of  the  case  of  which  the  news- 
papers are  so  full — the  Arabin  robbery. 
How  can  these — " 

".What  are  the  names  of  the  two  men  who 
were  with  this  Ashby  on  Monday  night?" 
interrupted  Try  on. 

"I  only  know  what  they  called  one  an- 
other," said  Patello.  "One  was  called 
Brant  and  the  other  Atchison.  These  three 
are — were — quite  regular  patrons  here. 
They  have  not  been  here,  however,  since 
Monday  night.  Occasionally  there  were 
other  men  who  ate  or  drank  with  them,  but 
I  never  heard  their  names." 

"Anything  unusual  happen  here  Monday 
night?"  demanded  Tryon. 

"Except  that  Mr.  Atchison  used  the  tele- 
phone more  frequently  than  usual — noth- 
ing." 


276  LOOT 

"He  ordinarily  used  it  quite  a  lot,  then?" 

"Two  or  three  times  in  an  evening  per- 
haps," said  Patello. 

"What  do  these  men  Atchison  and  Brant 
look  like?" 

"Brant  —  somewhat  of  a  dandy,  signor. 
Young  —  not  over  thirty  ;  maybe  a  little  less, 
signor.  Slim,  light-complexioned  ;  with  a 
mouth  that  drooped  —  that  seemed  loose,  if 
the  signor  understands." 

"Yes;  and  the  other?" 

"Mr.  Atchison?     The  gray  gentleman? 


"What!  The  gray  gentleman?"  cried 
Tryon. 

The  Italian  crossed  himself  swiftly. 

"I  never  thought,  signor!  Why  should 
171  swear  to  you,  signor,  that  I  know  noth- 
ing, suspected  nothing  —  " 

"  Go  on  !  "  said  Tryon  harshly.  His  mouth 
quivered  with  excitement.  "You  called  him 
the  gray  gentleman  ?  Go  on  !  " 

'  *  Signor,  you  believe  me  !  I  never  knew  — 
how  could  I  ?  We  —  the  waiters,  the  cashier 


LOOT  277 

— we  called  him  the  gray  gentleman  because 
his  hair,  his  complexion  and  his  clothing 
were  all  gray.  Atchison,  his  friends  spoke 
to  him  as ;  but  we  always  referred  to  him  as 
I  have  said.  But  that  he  should  be  the  Gray; 
Ghost—  " 

"Who  said  he  was?"  demanded  Tryon. 
"And  keep  your  mouth  shut  after  I'm 
gone." 

"Surely!"  cried  Patello.  "If  the  Gray 
Ghost — if  he  should  be  the  one — and  if  he 
knew  that  I —  Again  I  swear  to  you,  signor, 
that  I  knew  noth — " 

"All  right;  you've  said  it  enough," 
snapped  Tryon.  "How  long  have  these 
three  men  been  coming  here  ?" 

"Off  and  on  for  a  couple  of  months,  may- 
be," said  Patello. 

"Not  here  since  Monday?" 

"No,  signor." 

"Any  idea  where  they  live?"  Then,  as 
the  Italian  hesitated,  Tryon  gripped  his 
wrist  with  steely  fingers  and  wrenched  his 
arm.  "Look  here,  Patello,  you've  given  me 


278  LOOT 

some  news.  I  won't  forget  it.  And  I  won't 
forget  it  if  you  try  to  stop  giving  me  infor- 
mation now.  Another  thing:  Until  the 
Gray  Ghost  is  caught  not  a  soul  shall  know 
that  you've  helped  me.  Afterward,  when 
you've  nothing  to  fear  from  him,  there'll  be 
a  little  piece  of  change  coming  to  you  if 
you've  helped  me  get  him.  Now  then,  do 
you  know  where  he  lives?" 

"Not  that,  signor,"  stammered  Patello, 
rubbing  his  injured  wrist ;  "but  I  know  that 
he  used  to  telephone  the  Ever  Heady  Taxi 
Company  for  a  machine  if  it  happened  to  be 
late  or  a  rainy  night.  He  did  so  on  Monday 
night." 

"Good  for  you,  Patello,"  said  Tryon. 
"Come  on,  Pelham." 

But  at  the  door  the  Italian  called  them. 

"Signor,"  he  said,  "I  forgot.  There  wag 
a  lady  joined  them  for  a  moment  on  Monday 
night.  A  beautiful  woman,  with  the  hair 
and  eyes  of  the  women  of  Sicily.  Graceful, 
tall,  dark." 

"Eh?" 


LOOT  279 

Pelham  and  Tryon  exchanged  glances. 

"Miss  Light!"  breathed  Pelham.  "You 
are  getting  warm,  Jerry." 

"I  hope  so,"  grunted  the  detective. 

They  left  the  restaurant  with  a  last  in- 
junction to  Patello  not  to  mention  their 
presence  or  inquiries. 

"Of  course  he  isn't  of  the  gang,"  said 
Pelham. 

"Patello?  Certainly  not.  But  the  Gray 
Ghost  had  to  eat  once  in  a  while,  and  he 
wouldn't  meet  his  fellow  conspirators  al- 
ways in  a  secret  hiding-place  before  the  big 
crime  was  committed.  Why  not  Patello 's? 
And  a  lucky  accident  put  us  on  Patello 's 
trail." 

"You  think  the  gray  gentleman  is  the 
Ghost?" 

"Well,  look  here!"  said  Tryon.  "The 
'Gray  Ghost  has  been  called  the  Gray  Ghost 
for  a  good  many  years.  But  the  newspapers 
didn't  give  him  the  name ;  nor  did  the  police. 
It  came  from  the  underworld ;  a  big  'gun'  of 
that  nickname,  or  monniker,  has  been  gos- 


280  LOOT 

siped  about  for  a  long  time ;  but  none  of  the 
underworld  gang  knew  him,  had  ever  seen 
him.  But  they'd  heard  of  him.  News  of 
him  had  filtered  down  from  the  high  pin- 
nacle of  crookedness  he  occupied.  They  re- 
ferred to  him  as  the  Gray;  Ghost.  When  a 
big  trick  was  turned  it  was  underworld 
chatter  that  the  Gray  Ghost  had  done  it.  So 
his  nickname  got  to  the  police  and  papers/' 

"And  he  may  return  to  Patello's  at  any 
moment,  you  think?" 

Tryon  shook  his  head. 

"Not  this  time.  This  is  by  far  the  biggest 
thing  he  ever  did.  He  probably  employed 
many  times  as  many  men  as  ordinarily.  The 
risk  is  ten  times  as  great  as  it  ever  was  be- 
fore. He 's  probably  lying  low  now,  and  will 
lie  low  for  a  good  while  yet,  until  he's  dead 
certain  that  every  one  of  his  helpers  is  in  no 
danger  of  being  caught,  of  giving  anything 
away  that  would  lead  to  the  man  high  up, 
and  the  man  higher  up,  and  finally  the  man 
highest  up — the  Gray  Ghost  himself.  He 
won't  come  back;  to  Patello's,  but  it's  a  hun- 


LOOT  281 

dred  to  one  he  was  there.  Ashby  was  con- 
cerned in  the  Hildreth  matter ;  Ashby  comes 
to  Patello's;  Ashby  meets  a  man  there  who 
certainly  might  be  termed  a  Gray  Ghost  in 
appearance.  Morn  Light  meets  that  gray 
man  there." 

"It  sounds  good,  Tryon,  and  you're 
a  wonder!"  exclaimed  Pelham  enthusias- 
tically. "But  how  did  you  know  that  Pa- 
tello  would  recognize  the  man — this  Ashby 
person?" 

"I  didn't,"  grinned  Tryon.  "But  I  did 
know  this :  Patello  has  moved  up-town  twice 
since  he  started  in  business.  Each  time  the 
Black  Hand  tossed  a  bomb  into  his  place. 
It's  a  cinch  that  an  Italian  who's  in  the  bad 
graces  of  the  Black  Hand  will  observe  close- 
ly the  features  of  every  person  who  enters 
his  place,  eh?" 

They  turned  into  the  Ever  Ready  Taxi 
Company's  garage.  Swiftly  Tryon  made 
his  errand  known  to  the  proprietor.  The 
latter  called  to  a  group  of  lounging  chauf- 
feurs. 


282  LOOT 

"Any  of  you  answer  a  call  at  Patello's 
restaurant  Monday  night?" 

One  of  them  had.  Yes ;  his  fare  had  worn 
gray  garments  and  otherwise  answered  the 
Italian's  description  of  the  man  Atchison. 

"I  took  him  to  the  Hotel  Nestor,"  said 
the  taxi  driver.  "I  remember  it  because  an- 
other machine  came  down  the  wrong  side  of 
the  street  just  as  I  reached  there  and  I  had 
to  drive  with  two  wheels  on  the  sidewalk. 
The  other  machine  was  pinched  and  the 
'driver  got  thirty  days  for  drunkenness. 
He'd  oughta  got  thirty  years!"  he  added 
virtuously. 

"Ever  drive  that  man  before?"  queried 
Tryon. 

"Not  as  I  remember,  boss." 

Nor  did  any  of  the  other  chauffeurs  re- 
member having  driven  Atchison,  though 
several  of  them  had  answered  calls  at  Pa- 
tello's  recently  and  might  very  well  have 
done  so. 

"The  Nestor  now?"  asked  Pelham  as  they 
reached  the  street  again. 


LOOT  283 

"Where  else?  It's  a  slim  chance,  but 
we've  got  to  take  it.  There's  nothing  else." 

"You've  dropped  Ashby,  then?" 

"For  a  while.  Ashby 's  chief  is  bigger 
game.  iWe'll  follow  this  lead  until  it  ends; 
then,  if  we've  gained  nothing,  we'll  try  for 
Ashby." 

The  clerk  at  the  Hotel  Nestor,  however, 
knew  nothing  of  Atchison,  either  by  name 
or  description.  He  certainly  did  not  live 
there.  But  the  taxi  starter,  under  the  porte- 
cochere,  remembered  perfectly  the  incident 
of  the  drunken  auto  driver  whose  erratic 
guidance  of  his  car  had  caused  an  approach- 
ing taxi  to  climb  on  the  sidewalk. 

"It  was  last  Monday  night,  about  twelve 
or  thereabouts,"  he  said.  "I  remember  be- 
cause the  fare  in  the  taxi  went  inside  and 
came  out  again  in  about  five  minutes,  as 
though  he'd  gone  inside  to  telephone  or 
maybe  buy  a  drink.  And  then  he  took  a 
taxi  from  here." 

"Do  you  know  where  he  went?"  asked 
Tryon. 


284:  LOOT 

"I  can  find  out  in  a  jiffy,'*  said  the  starter. 

He  entered  the  little  cubby-hole  beneath 
the  porte-cochere,  which  was  his  office. 
There  he  ran  over  a  ledger. 

"Ryan  was  the  man  who  drove  him,"  he 
announced  in  a  moment,  "and  Ryan  is  down 
here,  at  that  day  and  time,  as  having  driven 
a  man  to  the  Granada.  Ryan  isn't  here 
now,  sir,  but  I  could  give  you  his  address." 

Tryon  took  it  and  tipped  the  starter. 

"Granada  or  Ryan's  address?"  asked 
Pelham.  "Doesn't  it  begin  to  look  like  a 
game  of  tag?" 

"Granada,"  advised  Tryon. 

They  entered  the  Granada,  and  Tryon 
went  directly  to  the  desk.  Comprehensively 
yet  briefly  he  describee!  the  Gray  Ghost  as 
Patello  had  described  him. 

"Any  such  person  stopping  here  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  clerk;  "but  he  isn't  here 
now.  He  had  his  things  sent  away  last  Mon- 
day. He  dropped  in  Monday  night  to  see  if 
they  were  all  gone — if  anything  had  been 
left  behind.  He  hasn't  been  here  since.  But 


LOOT  285 

certainly  a  detective — you're  one,  aren't 
you? — can't  want  anything  with  Mr.  Peter 
Ballantyne!  Why,  he's  a  well-known  re- 
tired business  man.  Been  stopping  here  off 
and  on  for  a  couple  of  years.  And  now  he's 
gone  on  a  yachting  trip  and — " 

His  speech  was  interrupted  by  the  gale 
of  laughter,  almost  hysterical  laughter,  that 
burst  from  the  lips  of  Pelham. 

"What's  the  joke?"  demanded  Tryon 
gruffly. 

Pelham  wiped  the  tears  from  his  eyes. 

"Joke?  Why,  the  joke  is  on  me,  I  sup- 
pose. Do  you  know,  Jerry,  I  almost  re- 
fused to  charter  my  yacht  because  the  man 
who  wanted  her  proposed  supplying  the 
crew.  I'm  glad  now  that  the  extra  payment 
I  demanded,  to  make  up  the  loss  of  pay  to 
my  own  crew  while  the  yacht  was  on  charter, 
didn't  stop  the  deal.  Otherwise  it  would  be 
Lard.  But  now — when  we  know  the 
yacht — " 

Again  laughter  overcame  him.  Tryon 
shook  him  by  the  shoulder. 


286  LOOT 

"You  mean  you  know  this  Peter  Ballan- 
tyne?  That  he—  " 

"I  never  met  him,"  gasped  Pelham;  "but 
my  lawyers  did.  They  turned  over  the 
yacht.  And  the  man  to  whom  they  turned 
over  the  Sorella  was  Mr.  Peter  Ballantyne  I" 


CHAPTEE  XVII 

MORN"  THINKS  OVER  A  PROPOSITION ;  BUT  DOES 
NOT  HAVE  TO  ANSWER  IT 

[WAN,  listless,  suffering  graved  on  her 
features,  Morn  Light  sat  in  a  lounging  chair 
on  the  after  deck  of  the  Sorella.  Down  in 
the  saloon  the  Gray  Ghost  was  busy;  on  the 
work  that  had  engrossed  him  since  the  yacht 
steamed  her  undisputed  way  out  of  New 
York  Harbor  five  days  before — ripping  jew- 
els from  their  settings.  The  first  moments 
of  panic  had  left  Morn's  heart;  something 
worse  had  taken  wild  panic's  place,  a  shud- 
dering wonderment  of  what  the  Gray  Ghost 
• — she  no  longer  had  the  slightest  doubt  but 
that  Atchison,  or  JBallantyne  as  it  now 
seemed  he  preferred  to  be  addressed  by  his 
gang,  was  the  Gray  Ghost — intended  to  do 

287 


288  LOOT 

with  her  had  taken  its  place.  To  her  state- 
ment that  she  would  die  before  marrying 
him  he  had  returned  only  an  enigmatic  smile. 

Her  chin  resting  on  her  palm,  she  stared 
out  across  the  smooth  swelling  expanse  of 
the  waters  glistening  beneath  a  warm  spring 
sun.  She  stirred  restlessly  as  a  shadow  fell 
across  the  deck.  She  looked  up  to  meet  the 
shifty  glance  of  Brant.  Uninvited  he  drew 
up  a  chair  and  sat  down  beside  her. 

"Don't  go,"  he  whispered.  "I've  got 
something  to  say  to  you — something  impor- 
tant." 

She  stared  at  him  coldly,  repugnance  and 
disgust  in  her  eyes. 

"Do  you  hate  me  so  much  as  that?"  he 
stammered. 

"One  doesn't  hate  a  wild  beast  who  has 
gone  mad  with  the  lust  for  killing,"  she 
answered.  "One  merely  wishes  that  one 
might  destroy  it." 

"But  suppose  I  wasn't  so  bad  as —  Lis- 
ten, Miss  Light!  Will  you  promise  not  to 
repeat  anything  I  say?" 


LOOT  289 

"I  can't  imagine  any  one  to  whom  I'd 
want  to  repeat  it,"  she  answered. 

" That's  enough  for  me,"  he  said.  " Lis- 
ten! Suppose  I  hadn't  killed  Hildreth? 
Would  you  feel  a  little  different  toward  me 
then?" 

"But  you  did!  I  heard  you  boast  that 
you'd  thrown  him — " 

"But  suppose  I  was  lying?  Suppose  I'd 
done  nothing  of  the  sort,  but  was  merely 
pulling  the  wool  over  Ballantyne's  eyes? 
And  suppose  I  should  show  you  that  Hil- 
dreth was  safe — prove  it  to  you  ?  And  sup- 
pose I  showed  you  a  way  to  get  out  of  Bal- 
lantyne's clutches?  "What  would  you  say?" 

"You  must  be  mad!"  she  answered. 

"Maybe;  but  there's  method  in  it."  He 
rose  and  looked  inside  the  cabin,  outside  of 
which  they  sat.  He  resumed  his  seat  and 
spoke  quickly,  whispering. 

"Ballantyne's  crazy!  Lots  of  us  sus- 
pected it  when  he  planned  this  Arabin  stunt. 
It  was  too  big.  But  we  didn't  dare  cross  him 
and — he  got  away  with  it.  But  since — he's 


290  LOOT 

been  glooming  like  a  madman.  And  this 
yacht  idea — all  very  well  maybe;  but  sup- 
pose the  word  did  get  out?  We're  trapped 
aboard  a  ship !  See  ?  Wouldn't  dare  enter 
any  port  on  the  globe.  Ballantyne  laughs  at 
the  idea  of  any  one  suspecting  who  we  are, 
but — it's  possible.  Another  thing — he's  not 
sane!  We're  afraid — Ashby,  Seeley  and 
the  rest  of  us — afraid  that  when  he  does  put 
in  he'll  give  the  snap  away  himself. 

"He's  muttering  to  himself  all  the  time 
and  hasn't  a  civil  word — nothing  but  curses 
and  growls — for  all  of  us.  And  the  way  he 
looks  at  me — do  you  know  what  we  think? 
We  think'  he  intends  wrecking  the  yacht 
somehow,  seeing  to  it  that  not  a  soul  es- 
capes—except you  perhaps — and  keeping 
the  loot  for  himself.  Bince  he  discovered 
how  cleverly  you'd  been  playing  him,  he 
suspects  every  one — especially  me;  for  he 
believes  that  I  dropped  you  hints.  Maybe 
I  did;  but  not  with  the  idea  of  double- 
crossing  him.  But  a  madman  wouldn't  rea- 
Boru  And  if  I  told  him  what  I  thought  of 


LOOT  291 

you  he'd  kill  me  out-of-hand.  But  I  don't 
propose  to  let  him. ' ' 

"What  do  you  propose  ?"  asked  Morn. 

"  There  are  twenty-two  men  aboard  this 
boat,  counting  the  stokers,"  said  Brant. 
"Each  of  them  is  naturally  one  of  his  fol- 
lowers; but  twelve  of  us,  the  ones  with 
brains  and  including  the  captain  and  the 
two  engineers,  feel  the  same  way  that  I  do. 
It's  twelve  against  ten — thirteen  against  ten 
If  you'd  help  us." 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do?" 

"At  night  Smithers  sleeps  in  Ballantyne's 
cabin  with  him.  Smithers  wouldn't  turn 
against  him.  Malloy  and  Landon  sleep  out- 
side his  cabin ;  or,  rather,  they  watch  there. 
Those  three  men  are  like  servants — old  faith- 
ful servants.  They've  been  with  him  since  he 
began  his  business.  They'd  die  for  him. 
And  the  other  six  men — they'd  prefer  to 
stick  with  Ballantyne,  who's  always  come 
clear  in  the  past,  than  join  with  us.  They 
couldn't  be  convinced  that  he's  insane  or 
that  he  plans  getting  rid  of  the  whole  ship's 


292  LOOT 

crew.  But  if  Ballantyne  was  a  prisoner — if 
he  was  in  our  power — they'd  come  round 
without  a  fight.  And  the  only  way  we  can 
get  him  in  our  power — without  a  battle  that 
might  end  in  all  of  us  getting  killed — is  with 
your  help." 

"How!" 

"Suppose  you  went  down  to  the  saloon 
now  and  were  nice  to  him?  He's  alone. 
Suppose  you  put  your  arms  about  his  neck? 
You're  strong.  You  could  hold  him  for  one 
minute,  couldn't  you?  And  in  that  time, 
while  you  cried  out,  there 'd  be  several  of  us 
jump  in.  We'd  have  his  gun  in  no  time,  and 
— well,  it  would  be  all  over.  Once  he's  a 
captive,  taken  by  surprise,  those  that  are 
faithful  to  him  would  see  reason." 

"And  what  do  you  propose  to  do  with 
him?"  asked  Morn  with  a  shudder. 

"There's  an  island  off  the  Maine  coast. 
It's  deserted.  We'd  put  him  ashore  there — 
we  wouldn't  kill  him,  I  promise  that — and 
leave  him.  Later  on  we'd  let  it  become 
known  that  there  was  a  shipwrecked  man 


LOOT  293 

there.  He  wouldn't  starve.  "We'd  leave  him 
food.  He'd  be  rescued.  But  it  would  be 
too  late  for  him  to  catch  us;  we'd  have  scat- 
tered. And  even  if  he  goes  entirely;  crazy, 
and  blurts  out  who  he  is,  it  would  be  too  late 
for  us  to  be  caught  by  the  police.  We'd  just 
put  quietly  into  some  port  and  drift  away — 
that's  all." 

"But  how  about  me  ?" 

"There's  an  answer  to  that.  Kendricks, 
captain  of  this  boat,  is  a  captain!  True, 
since  there  was  a  scandal  about  the  insur- 
ance of  his  last  regular  ship  he's  not  had  a 
berth ;  but  his  license  has  never  been  taken 
from  him.  !And  captains  can  perform  mar- 
riages at  sea.  Now  don't  shudder!  That's 
a  lot  better  than  dying  or — worse." 

"Perhaps,"  said  Morn.  "But  I'd  not  do 
it.  Why  do  you  want  me  to?" 

"Well,  for  one  thing,  I  love  you,"  he  said 
brazenly.  "You  know  that.  But  there's 
another.  [You,  as  my  wife,  would  hardly  be 
liable  to  try  to  hand  out  any  more  informa- 
tion about  the  gang.  iTou'd  not  like  it 


294  LOOT 

known  that  your  husband  was  a  thief.  Also, 
you'd  give  me  your  word  to  keep  everything 
silent. " 

"And  marry  you — a  murderer!" 
"That's  another  thing.  This  job  was  a 
big  one,  the  biggest  the  Ghost  ever  framed. 
It  was  bad  enough,  as  it  was  planned  to  be ; 
but  I  didn't  take  any  hand  in  the  actual 
robbery.  It  wasn't  planned  that  I  should. 
I  never  have.  I  simply  rounded  up  the 
rough-workers.  The  worst  I  could  ever  get 
would  be  a  stretch  in  jail.  And  I  didn't  in- 
tend to  take  any  chances  of  going  to  the 
chair.  The  night  we  came  on  you  and  Hil- 
dreth,  Ballantyne  left  it  to  me  to  settle  Hil- 
dreth — lef t  it  to  me  and  Ashby ;  but  Ashby 
was  nervous.  He  'd  just  slugged  that  French 
waiter  a  bit  harder  than  he'd  intended.  He'd 
turned  back  to  the  private  dining-room,  sus- 
picious that  the  Frenchman  might  be  hep  in 
some  way,  and  determined  to  pump  him; 
but  when  the  waiter  tried  to  get  past  him 
Ashby  lost  his  head  and  dropped  him  with  a 
blackjack.  He  hadn't  intended  to.  He  was 


LOOT  295 

simply  all  wrought  up.  But  when  we  were 
left  alone  in  your  apartment,  with  instruc- 
tions to  finish  Hildreth  as  he  lay;  there  un- 
conscious and  dump  him  in  the  river*— well, 
Ashby  didn't  feel  like  another  killing.  He 
thought  the  Frenchman  was  dead,  you  know, 
"And  I  wasn't  anxious  to  have  a  murder: 
charge  hanging  over  my  head.  If  we  should 
get  caught — and  the  Arabia  matter  was  so 
big  that  I  was  nervous  about  it — it  might 
help  if  I  'd  spared  Hildreth 's  life.  So  Ashby 
and  I  came  to  an  agreement.  !We  couldn't 
leave  Hildreth  to  recover;  we  couldn't  put 
him  anywhere  that  he'd  be  safe  except 
aboard  this  boat.  And  aboard  this  boat  we 
took  him  that  night,  very  quietly,  known 
only  to  those  of  us  who  stood  together.  And 
here  he's  been  ever  since.  He's  in  a  cabin 
now,  bound  and  gagged.  And,  now  that  we 
have  got  away— or  seem  to  have — and 
there'll  be  no  trouble  about  Hildreth — if  you 
shouldn't  marry  me,  and  if  Hildreth 
shouldn't  agree  to  keep  silent  and  didn't 
convince  me  that  he  meant  what  he  said — 


29Q  LOOT 

well,  It's  a  large  ocean  and  a  long  swim  to 
shore." 

"You'd  kill  him  now?"  she  whispered. 

"Why  not?  It  would  never  be  known  un- 
less we've  already  been  traced,  and  I  don't 
think  we  have.  I  only  saved  him  because 
the  Arabin  affair  might  have  slipped  up. 
He'd  have  been  something  to  have  helped  my 
case.  But  now — oh,  we'll  get  Ballantyne 
without  your  help,  I  guess.  But  it  would 
be  so  simple — you'd  hold  his  arms,  I'd  have 
his  gun.  And  you've  promised  not  to  men- 
tion this.  You  mean  it  ?  " 

"I'll  not  tell  him,"  she  answered  dully. 
"And  if  I  don't  agree  you — you'll  kill — Hil- 
dreth?" 

"Have  to,  anyway,  unless  he  promises  to 
say  nothing  that  will  lead  to  our  capture. 
He  can  tell  a  cock-and-bull  story  about  be- 
ing knocked  on  the  head  and  forgetting  who 
he  was  for  a  week  or  two." 

"But  how  can  I  tell  that  you're  telling  the 
truth  about  him?" 


LOOT  297 

"He's  in  a  cabin  forward.    Come  along !" 

Silently  she  followed  him  forward  and 
down  a  companionway.  He  led  her  to  a 
cabin  and  unlocked  it.  There,  upon  a  bunk, 
bound  and  gagged,  was  Hildreth.  But  even 
as  she  exclaimed  with  pity  Brant  pulled  her 
roughly  back  and  locked  the  door. 

"Don't  fret  your  pretty  head  about  him," 
he  sneered.  "That  gag  is  taken  out  twice  a 
day  while  he  eats.  But  a  gun  is  held  at  his 
head  and  he  doesn 't  holler.  Don't  fret  about 
him.  He  could  be  worse  off,  you  know.  .  .  . 
iWell,  what  do  you  say  ?  Ballantyne  is  in  the 
saloon  now.  None  of  his  faithful  servants" 
— and  he  sneered — "are  near  him.  We'd 
have  him  in  five  minutes.  I  'd  risk  a  pot  shot 
at  him — only  he's  lightning  with  his  gun, 
and  if  I  missed —  What  do  you  say?" 

"Let  me  think,"  said  Morn.  "Give  me 
time." 

"I'll  give  you  half  an  hour,"  said  Brant. 
"If  you  don't  agree  by  then,  why — well, 
we'll  have  to  chance  a  rush  on  Ballantyne. 


298  LOOT 

Some  of  us  will  get  hurt;  it  won't  make  us 
feel  tender,  you  know.  Hildreth  is  in  the 
way;  I'd  have  difficulty — " 

"Let  me  think,"  she  repeated. 

He  left  her  leaning  over  the  stern.  What 
should  she  do?  Was  there  the  slightest 
prospect  that  Brant  would  continue  to 
spare  Hildreth 's  life?  Now  that  there  had 
been  a  safe  escape  from  New  York,  would 
he  bother  to  keep  Hildreth  as  a  sop  to 
justice  ?  The  answer  was  that  he  would  not. 
If  she  agreed  to  do  as  he  said ;  if  she  humili- 
ated herself  by  letting  Ballantyne  caress 
her —  She  shuddered.  And  the  man  would 
insist  on  her  marrying  him !  Well,  she  could 
'die,  as  she  had  resolved  before.  But  that 
meant  that  Hildreth  had  not  the  slightest 
hope.  If  she  could  temporize —  But  to 
what  end,  out  here  on  the  [Atlantic,  with 
no  possible  chance  for  help  to  come,  even 
though  she  managed  to  delay  for  a  day;  or  sa 
Hildreth 's  death? 

Hildreth 's  death!  She  had  to  clutcK  the 
rail  to  keep  from  falling  to  the  deck.  In 


LOOT  299 

that  moment  in  her  apartment  when  he  had 
thrown  himself  in  front  of  her,  had  gone 
down  trying  to  protect  her,  she  knew  that 
she  loved  Hildreth.  His  own  manner  to- 
ward her  had  shown  that,  incredible  as  was 
love  at  first  sight,  it  had  happened  to  him 
as  well  as  to  herself.  "With  difficulty  she 
had  restrained  herself,  on  seeing  just  now; 
the  light  of  glad  recognition  in  his  eyes, 
from  throwing  herself  on  him.  But  instinct 
had  warned  her  that,  if  Brant  suspected 
anything  sentimental  in  her  attitude  toward 
Hildreth,  the  loose-lipped  young  man  would 
not  hesitate  a  moment  to  kill  the.  English- 
man. 

Brant  was  a  weakling,  moral  and  mental ; 
but  he  had  dared  to  pit  himself  against  the 
Gray  Ghost,  the  master  criminal  of  all  time. 
She  had  a  sudden  feeling,  not  of  pity  but 
of  regret,  that  if  Ballantyne  must  lose  he 
could  not  lose  at  the  hands  of  his  natural 
enemies,  the  police,  and  not  through  the 
treachery  of  those  who  had  sworn  to  stand 
by  him.  For  Brant  had  worked  with  Bal- 


300  LOOT 

lantyne  of  choice,  not  of  necessity  as  had 
Morn  Light,  who  could,  with  a  clear  con- 
science, betray  the  Gray  Ghost.  In  a  way 
trying  to  look  at  the  matter  dispassion- 
ately, it  was  too  bad  that  men  he  had  trusted 
must  work  the  ruin  of  Ballantyne.  Too  bad 
that  that  great  brain,  which  could  have 
achieved  a  great  legitimate  success,  must 
at  the  end  be  defeated  by  men  with  not  a 
tithe  of  his  ability,  but  on  whom  he  relied. 
She  thought  only  a  moment  of  Ballantyne, 
however.  Her  thoughts  went  back  to  her 
plight,  to  Hildreth.  She  sank  her  head 
lower  on  her  arms,  staring  down  at  the 
flashing  foam  of  the  Sorella's  wake.  From 
far  across  the  water  a  dull  boom  startled  her. 
She  looked  up.  Smoke  that  she  had  ob- 
served an  hour  before  in  the  distance  was 
nearer  now;  the  vessel  from  whose  funnels 
it  came  was  close  enough  to  be  seen  now. 
Long,  rakish,  she  must  have  almost  twice 
the  "heels"  of  the  Sorella.  Morn's  heart  beat 
fast.  Could  it  be  possible  that —  It  was! 
It  was !  For  a  cry  from  forward  reached  her 


LOOT  301 

ears.  She  ran  round  the  cabin  and  came  to 
the  bridge.  At  the  foot  of  it  stood  the  Gray; 
Ghost. 

"I  tell  you  to  give  her  steam !"  he  cried  to 
Kendricks,  the  ex-merchant  captain. 

As  he  spoke  another  boom  sounded;  and 
Morn,  looking  backward  along  the  deck  and 
across  the  smooth  oily  sea,  saw  a  white  puff 
at  the  bow  of  the  oncoming  boat.  Another 
cannon  shot  had  been  fired.  She  saw  the 
missile  touch  the  waves  and  throw  up  a 
cloud  of  spray.  Though  it  dropped  a  mile  or 
more  short,  in  a  few  moments  the  guns  would 
be  within  range.  Hope  bloomed  in  her 
bosom. 

"And  have  her  blow  us  out  of  the  water  ?" 
cried  Kendricks,  his  voice  shaky.  "She's  a 
destroyer;  she'll  go  an  easy  thirty  to  our 
best  nineteen.  She's  coming  up  hand  over 
foot.  There's  no  use  trying  to  dodge  her. 
She's  got  us.  If  we  run  she'll  sink  us.  I'm 
going  to  heave  to." 

A  revolver  flashed  in  Ballantyne's  hand. 

"You  11  signal  the  engine  room  to  give 


302  LOOT 

her  full  speed  and  you'll  steer  a  straight 
course  ahead,  Kendricks!  If  she's  after  us 
let  her  catch  us!  And  if  she  catches  us  let 
her  sink  us!  I'll  not  surrender  and  go  to 
jail." 

"Better  that  than  being  shelled!"  cried 
Kendricks. 

"But  it  won't  be  jail  for  me!"  cried  Bal- 
lantyne.  "Are  you  going  to  give  that  order 
•or  am  I  to  blow — >" 

He  did  not  finish  his  sentence.  Unob- 
served, Ashby  and  Brant  had  stolen  upon 
him.  Together  they  leaped  and  it  was  Brant 
who  knocked  the  weapon  from  his  hand. 

"It's  no  use,"  said  Brant.  "If  they're 
firing  cannon  at  us  they  know  who  and  what 
we  are.  And  I  don't  propose  to  be  gun- 
meat.  It 's  only  jail  that  I  'm  facing. ' ' 

"You  fool!"  cried  Ballantyne.  "You'll 
go  to  the  chair  for  the  killings  in  Arabin's. 
3Tou  helped  plan  them." 

"Those  of  us  aboard  here  will  turn  state's 
evidence,"  said  Brant  coolly,  though  his 


LOOT  303 

loose  lips  quivered.  "The  others  will  pay 
for  the  killings.'* 

"ButHildreth!" 

"Down  below;  we  didn't  kill  him,  thank 
'God  1 ' '  said  Ashby. 

The  Gray  Ghost  stared  from  one  to  the 
other  of  them.  For  a  moment  it  seemed 
that  he  would  risk  their  weapons,  unarmed 
though  he  was.  His  features  worked  with 
maniacal  fury. 

"You  whelps!"  he  said.  "You  treacher- 
ous whelps!" 

He  turned  upon  his  heel.  Before  his  in- 
tention could  be  realized  he  had  vaulted  over 
the  Sorella's  rail ;  and,  though  they  turned, 
though  they  lowered  a  boat,  they  found  no 
trace  of  him.  He  must  have  sunk  like  a 
stone. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  destroyer  ranged 
up  alongside.  A  file  of  marines  tumbled 
into  a  boat  and  a  moment  later  they 
swarmed  over  the  side  of  the  Sorella.  They 
met  with  no  resistance. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MORN   TELLS  HER  STORY;  AND  HILDRETH  DOES 
THE  REST 

BELOW,  in  irons,  were  the  members  of  the 
Gray  Ghost's  gang;  a  crew  from  the  De- 
stroyer Wasp  worked  the  Sorella  toward 
Boston,  a  good  day's  journey,  where  Pelham 
would  have  his  old  crew  take  possession  of 
her.  The  Wasp  itself  was  headed  for  New 
York.  Tryon  had  explained  to  Morn  how 
she  had  been  traced;  how  it  had  been  dis- 
covered that  the  Gray  Ghost  was  aboard  the 
Sorella;  how  wireless  had  traced  the  yacht ; 
how  the  Navy  Department  had  offered  the 
Wasp  to  the  New  York  police ;  and  how,  with 
her  great  speed,  informed  by  vessels  that 
had  sighted  the  Sorella^  it  had  taken  less 
than  forty-eight  hours  for  the  destroyer  to 
catch  up  with  the  yacht,  which  had  seemed 
to  have  no  definite  objective  point,  but  had 

304 


LOOT  305 

cruised  back  and  forth  a  few  hundred  miles 
from  New  York. 

"  Hanging  near  to  land,  so  if  he  inter- 
cepted any  wireless  that  would  tip  him  off. 
to  the  fact  that  we  knew  he  was  aboard  a 
boat,  the  Gray  Ghost  would  know  where  to 
dash  for.  The  Sorella's  wireless  is  weak ;  no 
great  radius.  That's  the  answer  to  that/' 
Try  on  said.  "He  didn't  dare  get  too  far 
out  at  sea ;  he  hoped  to  intercept  land  mes- 
sages. But  the  yacht  proposition  was  one 
thing  we  didn't  tell  the  papers. " 

This  was  in  the  Wasp's  saloon,  where  were 
gathered  several  of  the  officers  of  the  de- 
stroyer, Tryon  and  Pelham,  two  secret-serv- 
ice agents,  and  Hildreth.  Aside  from  a  stiff- 
ness in  his  movements  of  arms  and  legs,  and 
some  court-plaster  on  his  mouth,  the  young 
Englishman  showed  no  ill  effects  from  being 
bound  and  gagged  so  long. 

"And  now,  Miss  Light,  I'd  like  to  have 
you  tell  your  story,"  said  Tryon. 

Quietly  Morn  told  him  of  the  Gray 
Ghost's  entrance  into  her  apartment;  of 


306  LOOT 

Hildreth's  subjugation ;  of  her  own  gagging 
and  binding,  and  of  being  carried  aboard  the 
Sorella;  of  her  helplessness  and  fears  there ; 
of  Brant's  proposal  to-day — of  everything 
in  fact 

"But  back  of  all  that,  Miss  Light,"  per- 
sisted Tryon.  "Of  course, "  he  added  hasti- 
ly, "if  you're  too  tired — " 

"I'd  rather  tell  it  now  if  I  must,"  said 
Morn.  "But  will  it  be  necessary  for  me  to 
repeat  it  in  court  ?  Will  it  be  necessary  to 
publish  my  connection  with  the  affair?" 

"If  we  can  get  a  conviction  without  it — 
no,"  replied  Tryon.  "And  I  think  we  can. 
If  you'll  begin  at  the  beginning — "  he  sug- 
gested. 

She  drew  a  long  breath  and  the  younger 
officers  looked  angrily  at  Tryon;  but  even 
they,  and  Hildreth  also,  knew  that  there 
must  be  much  which  ought  to  be  explained. 
Though  they  pitied,  they  hung  breathlessly 
on  her  words. 

"My  father,"  said  Morn,  "was  named 
Abner  Light.  He  was  cashier  of  a  bank  in 


LOOT  307 

Ohio.  About  five  years  ago  he  seemed  dread- 
fully worried  and  nervous.  I  put  it  down 
to  the  fact  that  my  mother  had  recently  died. 
Later — but  I  shall  come  to  that.  At  about 
this  time  an  old  friend  of  his,  a  man  with 
whom  he  had  gone  to  school  and  college,  Mr. 
Peter  Ballantyne,  came  to  visit  us  and 
stayed  a  few  weeks.  After  his  departure — 
a  week  or  two  after — the  bank  was  robbed. 
A  large  sum,  almost  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  was  taken.  It  upset  father  so  that 
his  nervousness  became  threatening.  It  was 
necessary  to  put  him  in  a  sanitarium — not 
an  insane  asylum,  but  a  place  where  he  might 
be  nursed  back  to  health.  The  bank  officials 
very  kindly  offered  to  continue  his  salary 
while  he  was  ill — they  did  not  blame  him  in 
any  way  for  the  robbery ;  there  was  no  rea- 
son why  they  should.  Father  went  to  the 
sanitarium ;  and  as  it  took  almost  all  of  his 
salary  to  pay  his  expenses  there  I  decided 
to  make  use  of  a  certain  dramatic  talent  I 
possessed. 
"I  obtained  a  position  with  a  traveling 


308  LOOT 

company  and  played  many  parts — even  went 
to  England,  where  I  made  something  of  a 
success;  so  much  so  that  I  was  called  back 
to  New  York,  given  a  larger  part,  featured 
and  finally  starred.  Meantime,  as  I  was 
making  a  large  salary,  I  had  the  bank  dis- 
continue father's  salary.  I  am  glad  that  I 
did  that  much  before  I  knew  what  I  learned 
soon  after  that ;  glad  that  I  was  able  to  con- 
tinue supporting  him  myself;  glad  that  I 
had  begun  to  do  so  before  my  very  conscience 
would  have  made  me  forbid  him,  to  receive 
any  more  money  from  the  bank. 

"For,  during  my  second  year  in  New 
York,  Mr.  Ballantyne  came  to  call  upon  me. 
He  invited  me  to  dine  with  him.  I  accepted 
out  of  courtesy  to  an  old  friend  of  my  fa- 
ther's. In  a  short  time  he  was  paying  me 
more  attentions  than  I  cared  to  accept  from 
him.  I  asked  him  to  discontinue  them.  In 
answer  he  proposed  marriage.  When  I  was 
curt  with  him  he  told  me  a  few  things.  He 
told  me  that  my  father  had  connived  at  the 
robbery  of  the  bank  in  which  he  had  been 


LOOT  309 

employed.  Oh,  it  was  so!  He  showed  me 
letters  that  my  father,  had  written  him,  as 
an  old  friend  supposed  to  be  wealthy,  in 
which  my  father  confessed  that  he  had  gam- 
bled, lost  and  stolen  from  the  bank.  These 
letters  were  dated  at  about  the  time  my  fa- 
ther 's  nervous  depression  commenced.  They 
were  not  forgeries.  They  were  real. 

"Mr.  Ballantyne  explained  to  me  that  he 
had,  with  my  father's  aid,  planned  the  rob- 
bery of  the  bank,  which  had  not  only  ac- 
counted for  some  thirty  thousand  dollars  my 
father  had  taken  but,  as  I've  said,  a  great 
many  scores  of  thousands  more.  Naturally, 
the  robbery  covered  the  shortage  caused 
through  my  father's  thefts.  Mr.  Ballantyne 
told  me  that,  though  he  admitted  to  me  that 
he — Ballantyne — had  caused  the  robbery  of 
the  bank  and  profited  thereby,  he  would  deny 
it  if  I  told  of  his  confession,  and  informed 
me  confidently  that  there  was  no  possible 
proof  of  his  connection  with  the  crime.  He 
hinted  that  he  was  the  Gray  Ghost  of  whom 
I  had  heard  and  read. 


310  LOOT 

"He  told  me  that  if  I  refused  to  marry; 
him  he  would  expose  my  father's  dishonesty ; 
would  show  the  letters,  begging  for.  aid, 
which  my  father  had  written  him,  and  which 
confessed  his  fault.  When  I  retorted  that  I 
would  endeavor  to  prove  that  he  had  robbed 
the  bank  he  laughed  at  me,  and  I  knew  my 
threats  were  weak.  We  had  a  most  violent 
scene,  however,  and  he  finally  promised  that 
I  should  not  again  be  asked  to  marry  him ; 
but  he  said  there  were  many  services  that  a 
well-known  young  actress  might  perform 
for  him,  and  he  would  insist  that  I  should 
perform  them,  whenever  he  requested  them, 
my  father's  liberty  being  the  price;  of  my 
refusal. 

"I  suppose  I  should  have  gone  at  once  to 
the  police ;  but,  as  Ballantyne  said,  the  only 
evidence  against  him  was  that  he  had  once 
paid  a  visit  to  my  father  and  the  fact  that 
he  had  failed  to  inform  the  bank  of  his  old 
friend's  dishonesty.  That  was  no  great  of- 
fense ;  no  jury  would  sentence  him  to.  any- 
thing for  that. 


LOOT  311 

"Another  reason:  I  felt  that  Ballantyne 
was  a  most  wicked  man.  Though  I  could 
not  bring  myself  to  deliver  my  own  father; 
over  to  justice — though  I  would  have  done, 
anything  to  keep  him  from  jail — I  knew 
that  Ballantyne  was  a  million  times  morel 
wicked.  Father  had  sinned  through  weak- 
ness and  again  through  desperation.  Bal- 
lantyne sinned  deliberately,  premeditatedly, 
gladly.  I  made  up  my  mind  I  would  deliver 
him  over  to  the  authorities  if  I  could. 

"So,  after  a  while,  I  pretended  not  to  bq 
so  shocked.  I  agreed  to  help  him  if  I  could, 
though  not  too  willingly,  pretending  to  be 
afraid  of  what  would  happen  to  my  father 
if  I  refused.  And  month  after  month  I 
tried  to  get  hold  of  evidence  against  him. 
I  felt  that  it  was  my  duty  if  he  really  was 
the  Gray  Ghost.  At  times  I  believed  he 
was,  and  at  times  I  thought  not.  I  could  not 
be  sure.  I  knew  that  among  certain  people 
he  was  always  called  Atchison.  That,  hq 
told  me,  was  a  mere  detail,  in  case  strangera. 
should  overhear  anything  and  should  try  to 


312  LOOT 

locate  the  speakers.  Yery  few  of  his  friends 
iwent  by;  their  own  names.  At  least,  they 
would  be  addressed  by  one  name  when  with 
Ballantyne,  and  by  another  by  persons  who 
couldn't  know  of  their  wicked  participation 
in  Ballantyne 's  plots.  It  was  a  mere  pre- 
caution. 

"I  permitted  Ballantyne  to  bring  his 
fellow  plotters  to  my  apartment.  And  al- 
ways, when  Ballantyne  asked  after  my  fa- 
ther, I  answered  that  he  was  improving. 
JSven  when  my  father  died  six  months  ago 
I  kept  right  on  with  the  play  in  which  I  was 
then  appearing,  rather  than  let  Ballantyne 
know  that  at  last  he  had  lost  his  hold  over 
me,  for  it  never  occurred  to  him  to  make 
inquiries  about  my  father.  Little  by  little 
he  grew  accustomed  to  the  idea  that  I'd  not 
dare  refuse  him  anything.  He  even  pro- 
posed marriage  again  on  that  Monday  night 
—but  never  mind  that. 

"I  could  get  no  evidence  which  would 
prove  that  he  was  the  Gray  Ghost,  but  once 
in  a  while  a  word  would  be  dropped  by  some 


LOOT  313 

one.  I  would  know  that  something  tremen- 
dous was  impending  in  some  other  city.  At 
first,  I  thought  of  telling  the  police,  and  then 
I  would  realize  how  hopeless  it  would  be  to 
attempt  to  convict  him  on  the  flimsy  evi- 
dence I  had.  But  I  knew  that  something 
was  planned  to  happen  in  New  York.  I  felt 
pretty  certain  that  when  that  business  came 
off  I  should  know  enough  to  enable  the  po- 
lice to  trap  the  whole  crowd,  including  At- 
chison-Ballantyne,  or,  if  he  was  not  the  Gray 
Ghost,  whoever  was. 

"But  I  knew  that  I  ought  to  inspire  con- 
fidence in  my  word.  I  had  read  of  Lieuten- 
ant Tryon.  I  had  read  that  he  had  resigned 
from  the  police  force  because  of  his  interest 
in  the  Gray  Ghost.  I  read  that  his  superiors 
disapproved  of  him  because,  as  the  Gray 
Ghost  had  never  operated  in  New  York,  they 
did  not  think  that  he  should  study  his  opera- 
tions to  the  exclusion  of  routine  work,  that 
Lieutenant  Tryon  believed  that  the  New 
York  police  should  prepare  themselves 
somehow  in  advance  of  the  Gray  Ghost's 


LOOT 


coming;  that  Lieutenant  Tryon  examined 
every  major  crime  in  New  York  from  only 
one  standpoint—  had  the  Gray  Ghost  been 
concerned  in  it?  And  I  had  heard  Ballan- 
tyne  and  his  friends  laugh  at  Tryon.  They, 
did  not  fear  him  in  the  slightest. 

"But  I  thought  he  was  the  man  to  aid  me. 
iYet  I  dared  not  communicate  with  him 
openly.  I  dared  not  even  write  him  letters. 
He  might  try  to  trace  me  by  them.  I  didn't 
know  how,  but  I'd  heard  detectives  could  do 
strange  things  ;  and  if  he  traced  me  I  knew 
that  Ballantyne  would  discover  it.  He  had 
bribed  my  maid,  I  knew,  and  I  would  be  use- 
less as  a  weapon  against  the  Gray  Ghost. 
Moreover,  I  would  suffer  personal  danger  — 
and  I  am  only  a  woman.  I  did  not  wish  to 
invite  that.  And  I  could  take  no  chances 
of  losing  the  man  who  had  inveigled  my 
poor,  weak,  brain-sick  father  into  a  greater 
crime  than  his  first. 

"It  happened  that  I  frequently  dined  at 
Bishop's.  There  a  waiter,  a  rather  superior 
man  for  his  position,  had  told  me  how  he 


LOOT  315 

happened  to  be  a  waiter.  I  had  done  him 
some  kindness,  inquired  for  him  when  he 
was  sick,  sent  him  some  flowers;  he  was  a 
man,  after  all,  though  a  waiter.  And  he  told 
me  once  that  he  had  been  a  fairly  prosperous 
merchant  in  Lyons,  Prance.  His  brother 
had  emigrated  to  America  and  had  thrived 
as  an  importer  in  San  Francisco.  Then  his 
brother's  place  of  business  had  been  robbed 
and  the  brother  murdered.  Jacques  had 
come  to  America  to  investigate,  after  the 
police  had  failed,  and  had  spent  all  his  small 
fortune  in  trying  to  trace  the  murderers, 
who,  he  said,  he  was  convinced,  after  much 
study,  were  adherents  of  the  Gray  Ghost. 
Now  he  was  a  waiter,  hopeless  of  ever  dis- 
covering his  brother's  murderers. 

"Here  was  a  tool  ready  to  my  hand.  I 
didn't  tell  him  much,  and  told  him  that  that 
little  he  must  swear  not  to  reveal.  He  was 
some  one  I  could  trust,  I  felt.  I  told  him 
that  I,  too,  was  trying  to  land  the  Gray  Ghost 
in  jail  and  that  I  had  hopes  of  succeeding.  I 
arranged  with  'him  that  he  should  forward 


316  LOOT 

notes  which  I  would  write  to  Mr.  Tryon. 
Then  I  got  Mr.  Tryon  on  the  telephone  and 
told  him  to  go  to  Bishop's.  He  received 
from  Jacques  notes  about  crimes  to  be  com- 
mitted on  the  very  nights  he  received  them. 
I  did  not  warn  Mr.  Tryon  in  advance  of  those 
crimes  because  I  wanted  to  land  the  Gray 
Ghost — not  his  mere  agents  in  other  cities ; 
and  I  knew  that  could  be  done  only  when 
some  New  York  crime  was  committed. 
Meantime  the  fact  that  I  possessed  correct 
information  would  cause  Mr.  Tryon  to  trust 
me>  make  him  ready  to  jump;  in  at  a  second's 
notice. 

"Then,  as  little  by  little,  from -chance  re- 
marks, from  shrewd  questions,  I  learned 
that  a  great  New  York  crime  impended,  I 
began  sending  hints  to  Mr.  Tryon.  Soon 
I  learned  that  the  date  was  on  a  Thursday.  I 
warned  him  of  that.  And  then — well,  then 
I  recognized  Mr.  Hildreth.  Ballantyne 
learned  that  I  had  warned  Mr.  Hildreth  that 
he  was  in  danger —  I  am  very  tired.  Mr. 
Hildreth  can  explain  all  that  to  you,  Mr. 


LOOT  317 

Tryon.  Is  it  necessary  that  I  continue  ?  You 
know  all  that  is  important  now.  Will  it  be 
printed — about  my  father  ?" 

"It  certainly  shall  not,  Miss  Light,"  said 
the  detective.  "And — and  don't  feel  badly 
about  your  father.  He  was  probably  sick 
when  he  took  the  first  money  and  crazy  when 
he  let  Ballantyne  hook  him  for  the  robbery. 
Don't  fret.  And  you've  more  than  made 
good  for  anything  your  father  did.  If  you 
think  he  sinned,  just  remember  that  you 
tried  to  repay — did  repay.  Without  you  I'd 
never  have  landed  the  Gray  Ghost,  and — " 

He  stopped;  she  was  staring  into  Hil- 
dreth's  eyes.  It  was  as  though  she  heard 
not  a  word  that  Tryon  said,  but  wanted  only 
to  know  what  the  Englishman  thought  of  her 
and  what  she  had  done.  What  he  thought 
was  plainly  to  be  read  in  his  eyes. 

Tryon  looked  from  the  girl  to  the  man  and 
back  again.  Then  he  turned  to  the  captain 
of  the  Wasp. 

"Fine,  bracing  breeze  on  deck,  gentlemen. 
Shall  we  sample  it?" 


318  LOOT 

Silently  they  filed  out  of  tlie  saloon,  leav- 
ing Hildreth  and  the  girl  alone.  They  looked 
at  each  other. 

"Is  it  true?"  he  asked.  "What  I  read  in 
your  eyes?" 

"What  do  you  read?"  she  parried. 

"That  you  would  not  mind  my  doing— - 
this." 

And  with  the  last  word  he  pressed  his  lips 
against  hers. 

Three  things  happened  in  the  next  few 
months,  two  of  which  occupied  much  space 
in  papers  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  One 
was  the  round-up  of  every  single  member  of 
the  Gray  Ghost's  gang,  including  the  maid, 
Celia,  the  retreats  of  those  not  captured  on 
the  Sorella  being  betrayed  by  thotee  who 
were.  Another  was  the  wedding  of  Lady 
Gwendolyn  Brathwaite  and  Brenner  Car- 
low.  The  third  was  the  marriage  of  Wade 
Hildreth  to  Morn  Light;  but  as  Morn  had 
retired  from  the  stage,  the  papers  made  little 
of  it,  being  occupied  with  greater  things. 


LOOT  319 

Moreover,  it  was  a  very  quiet  wedding, 
and  the  only;  witnesses  were  Tryon,  Pelham 
and  Jacques,  the  ex-waiter  at  Bishop's,  who, 
cured  of  paralysis  now,  had  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  business  with  his  share  of  the 
reward  paid  by;  Arabin  for  the  recovery  of 
his  property,  in  which  reward  Tryon  had 
insisted  the  Frenchman  should  participate. 
A  very  quiet  wedding,  not  at  all  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  elaborate  affair  of  the  Car- 
lows,  whose  wedding  presents,  exclusive  of 
the  famous  Carlow  necklace,  were  estimated 
at  being  worth  a  hundred  thousand  pounds. 

But,  though  a  smaller  wedding,  it  was 
none  the  less  satisfactory  to  its  participants. 
Indeed,  Brenner  Carlow  nowadays,  when  he 
meets  Hildreth,  senior  partner  in  the  law 
firm  that  attends  to  the  Carlow  English  in- 
terests, member  of  Parliament  with  a  pros- 
pect of  soon  becoming  Under  Secretary  for 
Foreign  Affairs — whose  charming  American 
wife  has  helped  him  politically  as  well  as 
socially  —  Carlow  sometimes  wonders 
whether  a  marriage  purely  for  love  has  not 


320  LOOT 

its  advantages.  Of  course  the  Lady  Gwen- 
dolyn plays  fair ;  still,  if  he  had  not  had  the 
Caiiow  millions —  But  what's  the  use? 
Brenner  Carlow  is  very  popular  in  English 
society  now;  and,  after  all,  that  counts  for 
quite  a  bit. 

And,  because  he  is  rather  proud  that  a 
rising  statesman  should  handle  his  affairs, 
he  quite  frequently  drops  into  the  House  late 
at  night  and  persuades  Hildreth  to  go  out 
and  have  a  bite  with  him.  And  always  he 
says,  as  a  sort  of  stock  joke : 

"Care  to  run  over  to  New  York  and  get 
another  necklace  for  me,  Hildreth?" 

"What's  the  use  ?"  asks  Hildreth.  "There 
are  no  more  Morns.  I  have  the  only  one." 

And  Carlow  sighs  sometimes.  However, 
he  perks  up  when  Hildreth  asks  him  about 
his  latest  social  triumph,  and  is  quite  elated 
when  Hildreth  remarks  on  how  well  Lady 
Gwendolyn  looks  in  her  wonderful  diamond 
necklace. 

THE  END 


from  which  it  was  borrowed 


NON-RENEWABL' 


DUE  2  WKS  FROM  DATE 
SEP  1 2  1991 


.RECEIVED 


